Return of the Dragoneye: Eona Strikes Back
by KatxEona
Summary: Takes place a few months after the events of Eona. The Celestial Empire is in ruins due to catastrophic disasters that have hit the land. Eona is more alone than ever after her friends' betrayal in the last book. A new mysterious girl enters Eona's life, and an old enemy vows to destroy once again…
1. Prologue and New Beginnings

**This story is mostly written in third-person omniscient, even though Eona's the main character.**

* * *

**Prologue**

_When the Circle of Twelve was complete, and the celestial dragons were all back in their respective domains, the Celestial Empire was once again at peace and all was in perfect balance. Or so they thought. But as it turned out, they no longer had the dragons to protect the land, the nature, them…and so it began. The inevitable natural disasters that began to tear it apart, hopelessly, endlessly, horrifically. Many died, and the population was cut in half. Whole villages were destroyed. The palace itself was demolished to mere pieces. How can the people of the Celestial Empire cope with these never-ending catastrophes that are plaguing them and forcing them constantly on the move for survival, without their Dragons to protect them like they had for so long…_

**Chapter 1—A New Beginning**

_Eona felt her legs give way as Yuso kicked her from behind, his foot jamming into the back of her thigh. She felt a blow to her ribs next. Surely something was about to break, if it was not already broken. She felt the world spin around her and she became dizzier and dizzier._

"_Drink this," he ordered. He shoved something into her mouth and she had no choice but to swallow it. His voice was cold and unfeeling. Not like how she'd ever heard him before. Why was he doing this? What had she done to make him _this _angry? Not angry. Psychotic. Insane. Vida was angry at her. Ryko was angry at her. But Yuso…Yuso was something else. Even they hadn't tried beating her, but Yuso was holding nothing back. And she saved his life. She saved his life._

_She opened her mouth, trying to get the words out. _I saved you…I pulled you out of the mud, remember? I kept your secret…I could've left you there to die or told someone about your secret…_but she couldn't get any of the words out. Her mouth closed from exhaustion, her eyes becoming droopy, falling down into a restless sleep, along with her body._

Gasping, Eona sat up in bed. She'd let out the odd sound before she was fully awake, so to her it sounded quiet and distant, as though it weren't coming from her own body. She glanced over at the dark outline of Kygo's sleeping form in the early morning light. She could tell by his soft breathing that he was still asleep and hadn't heard her. Sighing, Eona folded her hands behind her head and slowly lay back down, trying to keep her breathing steady. Staring at the ceiling as though it were the stars and had all the answers, Eona wondered about the dream. Was that what happened? Had Yuso really said those things? Is that how it really went down? Eona couldn't remember details, despite it not being very long. What she did remember, was how the empire and everyone's lives had been restored shortly afterwards, and Kygo had taken his rightful place at the throne. Things had gone back to the normal order, for a short time at least. During that time, while Eona was alone in the privacy of her own chamber, she'd lifted up her tunic to find a bluish-purple bruise the size of her fist on her stomach. It could've come from Yuso…it could've come from Sethon. It could've come from falling down somewhere or from combat or from somewhere else. She'd always lost track of where or when or _who_ the bruises came from. She was afraid to talk about it to anyone, including herself, though she always did find herself talking in her head…thinking about it…wondering. Wondering why it was on her mind so much more now than it ever had been before.

This dream, this nightmare, wasn't always Yuso. Sometimes it was her former master. Sometimes it was the whipmaster at the salt farm. Sometimes it was Kygo.

Eona broke her focus from the ceiling and glanced back in Kygo's direction. She bit her lip and sat up so fast she was dizzy. Within minutes she was dressed, had her swords strapped to her back, and was standing on the front steps of the relatively small cabin they shared, though it was bigger than most peoples' in the village. The cabin was somewhat set apart and isolated from the rest of the cabins, sitting on the far edge of the woods. Close by was another, uninhabited cabin. They'd all initially been uninhabited when they arrived at the ghost town. The whole group of them—the survivors of the empire, which had been reduced to about three hundred people—had been traveling through the woods and mountains for days, barely with anything to eat or drink, until they'd found the small and deserted village, obviously left behind by another group of people quick to get out of there as soon as possible. There was much debate and argument over whether they should stay there or not. Whether it would be safe or not. _"They left this place for a reason!" _one side said. _"We won't be getting anywhere soon if we keep going in this condition!" _said the other. Some people argued about survival of the fittest; others retorted with how absurd that was and that they were staying no matter what, to get rest, shelter, and food, which was fortunately abundant in the surrounding forest. There were also a couple freshwater lakes nearby and plenty of game to hunt. Eona never could tell if Kygo wanted to move forward or not. Ever since the empire fell, he'd been becoming less decisive than ever before. It was barely noticeable to almost everybody else, but to Eona, the subtle change was clear. But he'd decided they should stay in the village so as not to get separated or leave anyone behind. Or maybe all of her attempts to convince him had paid off. It was a better idea to stay, in Eona's opinion, so long as there was no visible danger. And so far, they'd been there for a few months and no problems arose.

Staring out into the open field at the silhouettes of houses and cabins and other buildings as the sun began to rise above the horizon, it was empty and quiet right now. Soon the village would be awake and bustling with activity, some people hunting, some gathering berries and firewood, some washing garments and hanging them out to dry…everyone each doing his or her part to contribute, to survive. Right now though, it seemed like Eona was the only person awake. And strangely, she did not feel lonely. Alone, but not lonely. In a brief moment of clarity, she realized that being alone was sometimes nice. For the longest time, it was her greatest fear come to life. She'd fallen into a deep depression over losing her closest friends, no matter how good she'd tried to be to them, no matter how much she tried to help them. She'd discovered that the more she tried to help people, the angrier she made them, and the more both she and them hurt. _You don't get close to anyone, _she'd decided, _you don't hurt them. And then they can't hurt you. _It sounded so simple. Would it work? So far, as she felt the sun's rays rising to greet her, it had. The sun warmed her face and made every muscle in her body relax. "You're going to have a good day today, Eona," she told herself quietly. Forcing a small smile on her face, she walked down the steps and toward the woods, making her way along the path. It was the first time she'd felt whole again since the end of the war. Or at the very least, whole enough to get through another day.

* * *

The path was littered with pebbles and fallen leaves. The sun played hide-and-seek with the trees, shining through the branches, creating small patches of light here and there.

Ever since the end of the war, both before and after the catastrophes started, Eona had grown distant from everyone. Dela, Chart, Rilla, and even Kygo…she could feel the distance between herself and all of them, people she once spoke to and smiled to on a regular basis. Even if they were in close proximity of each other. Even if they were close enough to touch, she might as well have been on the other side of the empire. She felt less now, less than them, less than _everyone. _She even felt less than Eon, who'd been her lowest point in life because he'd been poor and crippled and no one had liked him either. But Eona got even less respect. Because she was the land's last savior, everyone was customarily respecting—they bowed and kowtowed to her, and regular citizens did the same, who had no idea of the history she'd had with those once close to her. But she knew, every time she looked at Lady Dela, she could see in her eyes, that she was the reason Ryko was dead. She knew every time she looked at Chart's worried glances and guarded expressions, that he wondered when she would compel him. It didn't matter that she never planned to do it, and that the one time it did happen, it had been an accident due to Ryko's interference.

She was a curse to everyone. Everyone she came near got hurt somehow.

Which was why she was going to be a lot more careful from now on.

Sure humans were interactive beings by nature, but one could do that without getting too involved. Do what you could to help, but keep people at arms' length at the same time. And don't try too hard to help—or you could end up doing the opposite. These were all things that she'd learned from first-hand experience. But the most important thing she'd learned of all was that as long as something was there to wake up to every morning, it was all worth it. If something could make you smile, or make you feel good, even for a moment, life was worth it. For Eona, it was the sun. It was the sound of the birds. It was the rustle of leaves in the wind and the comfort of the breeze. It was knowing there was still beauty left in this world, even if much of it had already died. She would cling to it until she herself died. Sometimes, she could even swear she heard the distant roaring of a dragon somewhere.

In the distance, she could see the pond. From where she was, it was simply a small round dark green area surrounded by bright green plants. The water that ran lightly from the waterfall over the rocks was bright blue with rolling white patches. It almost looked like a painting the way they melded into each other. Eona stepped over the moss-covered rocks, through hanging vines, making her way deeper into the forest. The sound of the water got louder. She sat down on a relatively dry surface. Much of the area was moist and smooth, and the ground was made up of rich mud, probably silt—if that was it, it was no wonder the area was so green and alive and healthy. All she could hear was the soft sound of fresh water coming down the steady waterfall into the pond. A couple of times she'd come here alone and bathed in it. As far as she knew, no one else knew about it and she could see why. It not only veered off the path, but was also isolated by the thick trees and shrubs. In nearly every direction there was just green, and it was quiet enough to hear any slight movement that would result from someone entering, disrupting the peaceful balance. The light that hit the trees lit up the area, accentuating every color in sight, but not bright or blinding.

It was heaven.

The catastrophic disasters had caused them to continuously move west, and thus further away from the Celestial Empire. They were starting to cover ground that Eona didn't recognize anymore. No one did, not even Emperor Kygo. There were less mountains and rocky terrain, more wooded areas and flatlands. The air grew colder and more frigid. They had not seen anyone, though Eona had heard stories from time to time ever since she was little that there more people out there—some with darker skin, some with lighter. Some with hair as white as the sun. Some with eyes that were different colors, like black, blue, even purple. She'd never known whether to believe these stories or not, as most people didn't venture out of the empire very often, and were for the most part dismissed as being insane or hallucinating things. Still though, there was so much she'd found out only recently that she hadn't known about before. Why should this be any different?

They were adjusting quite well. It was a bit of a struggle, many people having to crowd together in one cabin, some families needing two or three. At first there was much confusion over who should do what and how to evenly ration out the food, or as evenly as possible anyway. After about two months, things started to settle down though. They were getting used to their new place. Eona didn't think of it as home yet, and didn't quite know if she ever would. But for now it was the closest thing. She hoped nothing else happened soon that would disrupt that, now that they had found it.

In the meantime that Eona didn't spend wandering the woods, she spent it in one of the abandoned buildings they'd found in their new civilization. A building filled with scrolls, drawings, books, and artwork. Paintings, blank parchment, quills and ink. Kygo and many others had inspected it for a while now. There were numerous thick books on the shelves with different writing from their own. There were some translations for the symbols into their own language, and Eona had spent countless hours learning about this strange new language. She was not fluent in it—but she knew a great deal about it already. There looked to be other scripts in there too, but no translations. This one was far different from theirs, and must've been used in the far west, where many things were bound to be different.

Anything she could do to keep from thinking about the past. There was no point in dwelling on it. But she knew she was contradicting herself every time she thought that. For every time she thought about the past, she could almost feel it in her hands again…the smooth, warm pearl with the gold flickering flame against her skin, changing her life, giving her something she'd never had before…power…hope…respect…

Respect?

Was that what it had been?

Or was it forced tolerance because the Mirror Dragon had been the one hope left of the resistance?

Now that she no longer had the connection with her dragon, she could see the painful truth much more clearly—she was useless to people. It shouldn't have hit her as much as it did, because it shouldn't have been a surprise. Was she anything before she was the Mirror Dragoneye? Or was she just a mere cripple, a poor person, a little nameless girl on a salt farm who couldn't move fast enough or work hard enough or wasn't strong enough? Having no prior knowledge of her existence, her family, where she came from…

Perhaps people were even relieved her connection had been lost. When she thought back to the war, the resistance, and all that had taken place, she could see the disapproving, sour, resentful faces much more clearly than she ever had before. Before they hated her because she was nothing. Then they hated her because she was something. There was never any way to win.

But now she remembered...all of the horrible things she had done. How she lied about her identity, how she destroyed an entire village, how she killed thirty-six villagers, how she hurt Ryko…

A hot searing anger crashed through her body. No. That was not true. She never intentionally hurt Ryko. She hurt him, but not intentionally. Yet they'd drilled it into her head that she'd meant to control him and take his will and make his choices for him. But people had always taken her choice away too, and there was no protest against it. She never wanted to masquerade as a boy. Who _wants _to live their life pretending to be the gender that they're not? She never wanted to kill anybody. She never wanted to be stuck with the stupid, hideous power of compulsion. Did they think any of this was easy for her too?

With a sigh, Eona got up and walked back over the rocks toward the path again. Today she just couldn't keep the bad thoughts away. Maybe some other time.

As she rounded the path that began leading up a hill, a cliff came into view where a large oak tree sat just at the edge of it. Under the tree sat Dela. She leaned sideways against the tree, her feet dangling off the side of the cliff. Even though Eona only saw her back, she could tell Dela was crying. Her shoulders shook slightly and her head was down. She'd been this way since the end of the war. There were periods where she would just go off anywhere to be alone, not wanting to talk to or be around anyone, not even her father. She had not smiled in a long time, something she used to do quite often, even when times were rough.

Over the cliff was a steep drop of at least forty feet into a shallow creek. There were sharp jagged rocks along the way.

Slowly but swiftly, stopping when she was still feet away so as not to startle her, Eona approached Dela and quietly said, "Dela, don't do it."

Dela's head whipped around in Eona's direction. She had not been expecting her. Eona must've been quieter than she thought. Or maybe it was just because most people were not up this early.

"I wasn't going to," said Dela. She looked at Eona like she was seeing a ghost. The ghost of a girl—or boy—she used to know. "I was just remembering him. That's all."

"I'm sorry for what happened."

"You should be. You were the one who killed him."

Her eyes dropped to the ground and she walked away, hearing a small gasp behind her, followed by the pit-patter of feet. "Eona," Dela said, "Eona." There such a heavy amount of grief in her voice that Eona stopped and turned back. "Please…I—I didn't mean it. Not at all. I'm sorry—it's not true. It was Ryko's _choice_—"

"No, it's true. I'm a murderer. Just ask Vida."

"Just ask Vida what?" Vida said, stepping out of the trees. She looked from Dela to Eona to back to Dela, clueless. More people must've begun waking up by now.

"Eona, please—"

Dela grabbed her arm but Eona shook her off. "Get off me," she snarled. "You and Ryko and _everybody _made it perfectly clear. Not knowing that it was all already perfectly clear to me as it is."

Eona turned and walked back through the woods the way she came, knowing that if she were a dragon, she would be breathing fire right now.


	2. A First Meeting

**Chapter 2-A First Meeting**

Since the beginning of their settlement in this new land that they now were trying to call home, everybody was on edge due to the unfamiliarity of it. The land was different, the climate and atmosphere changed quicker than anyone was comfortable with, and there was so much around them that they still did not know about. What one didn't know, what one didn't understand, always had the potential of a threat. Mysteries could be intriguing but also serve as danger if one did not tread lightly.

This was something the citizens of the Celestial Empire had to learn the hard way. For the first few weeks straight, their village was raided, pillaged, looted, and plundered nearly dry of all their food and supplies. They'd since set up guards on all sides to border to help protect their settlement. They also went on missions slightly beyond the borders to prevent the people from coming any closer. There'd been quite a few small battles since they started doing this, and the skills of the people of the Celestial Empire were far superior to the ones of their unknown adversaries. It had reduced the intrusions to near zero and greatly improved their overall safety and security. But still, this did not comfort the people as much as it should have. Given the disasters and destruction all around, they knew everyone was out for survival. It would not end so easily.

They did not know who any of these people were—they were a mix of both Westerners and Easterners, but not Easterners from the Celestial Empire. Eona had not recognized any of them—none of them were Islanders, Eastern Tribal people, Trang Dein people, or any other ethnic group she'd ever been aware of. All they knew was that they were not with them ever, that they were their clear enemies. They did not come in friendly greetings. Everyone was on edge whenever they so much as heard rustling around the trees.

"Eona!" Kygo said in a clipped voice. It was as though he were ordering a dog to come back to him. "Focus."

"I'm focusing." In the months since the war, she'd grown distant from him, even more so than she'd been before. It seemed right when they'd made a connection when she returned the pearl to the dragons, it had only been a calm before the storm. Or perhaps this now was the calm before the storm. She chalked it up to the high tension surrounding everyone since the disasters started happening. But Eona knew it was more than that.

They slowly took a couple steps forward and ducked when arrows came flying their way. Eona saw one land on the branch of a tree, just inches from her face.

She caught someone—a girl—running away, her figure a blur amongst the trees. Eona dashed after her up the slope, quickly losing sight of her. Slowing to a halt, Eona kept her breathing quiet and walked stealthily onward. With one sword still raised to defend herself, she looked around each tree, expecting someone to jump out at her from any direction any minute now. She heard a movement and ducked behind a tree, flattening her back against it. She held her breath. Slowly turning to peek out, something snapped behind her. Eona swung her sword out, stopping just short of the girl's head.

The girl let out a little yelp and fell backwards, her hands covering her face. When she uncovered it, she scrambled back up to her feet and stood paralyzed, gripping her bow in one hand. Under her foot was a twig that must've made the noise. Though she had plenty of arrows strapped to her back, she did not reach for any. The girl looked young, about the same age as Eona. She stared at Eona, breathing heavily, eyes wide…pale, grayish-blue eyes Eona had never seen on anyone before. Long light orange hair and pale skin that contrasted sharply with her all-black outfit. The girl wore black boots, black arm warmers up to her elbows, and a black sleeveless one-piece suit that ended just above her knees. She was almost the same slender size as Eona—taller, but scrawnier too.

Eona stood there with her sword raised but didn't make a move. Finally the girl made a swift turn and ran. Her ginger hair trailed behind her and Eona stood there and listened to her running footsteps until she was too far away to hear them anymore.

A hand came down on Eona's shoulder. "Why did you let her escape?" Kygo asked furiously.

"She wasn't harming me," she replied. Though she was now turned to face Kygo, he still had a firm grip on her shoulder. Her eyes shifted to his arm and she used every ounce of will in her to not squirm out of it.

Whatever was in her eyes must've been strong enough for Kygo to see because he released his grip. "It doesn't matter," he said. "She is part of the enemy troops. She is against us. She could come back later and strike again."

"You make this sound like it's a war," Eona said. "Is everything a war to you?"

"This _is _a war, in a sense," Kygo insisted. "It's a matter of survival now. Remember? Mutual survival?"

Eona shivered, remembering their first encounter right after she'd been chosen as the Mirror Dragoneye but had yet to reveal to anyone who she really was. The then-emperor had summoned her and asked that she protect his son, Prince Kygo, the true heir to the throne. Her and Kygo had agreed on something they'd both had in common—mutual survival. It was shortly after that—and ironic—that he'd tried to kill her.

"They may or may not be taking orders from an authority," Kygo continued, snapping Eona out of her dark memories. "But they are a threat nonetheless, and we need to take care of every one of them that comes around here. Are you listening?"

"Yes," Eona replied. "If I find her again, I will capture her." She was more than used to lying by this point.

"Good. I expect you will find her somewhere around here again. They either don't get away, or they tend to come back."

* * *

Katarzyna walked cautiously among the trees, having strayed from the path long ago. She tried to keep quiet but it was irritatingly hard the way her feet crushed the pebbles beneath her. She thought about taking off her boots, but she needed to be ready to run or climb should there be a threat anywhere. Having long since lost her group, she was alone now, though it wasn't all that different from how things were back where she came from. She was an outcast and a pariah where she came from, due to her…noncomformity. A lot of people acted like it was a _de_formity, though not visible to the naked eye. Katarzyna contrarily liked to think of it as a useful tool that she always had on her when necessary—a power. The way she could easily close her eyes and—

Nearby she heard the rustle of trees, then silence. In that half second of silence she knew she had to leap out of harm's way. She would never know how to explain the feeling precisely; something inside just told her that something or someone was about to jump out at her. Katarzyna half-turned and did an awkward somersault down the slope of the trees, sliding down the sand, dirt, and gravel. She could already feel the burns on her arms and legs as she slid down, hitting bumps and rocks and jutting twigs along the way. By the time she'd rolled into a sitting position on her knees, her bow and arrow were already held up at the ready. She saw a girl standing in the exact spot she'd been standing in a few seconds ago, who must've run out of the bushes after her. Katarzyna slowly stood up, still holding the bow and arrow, though both were visibly quivering in her hands. Her arms and legs had dirt on them. She saw the girl glance down, a grim frown spreading across her face. When Katarzyna followed her gaze, she saw that she, Kat, was standing on the edge of a steep cliff. Her heels were only a few inches away. She could see small rocks falling down into the abyss. The only big thing in sight to grab onto was an oak tree, but she was standing a good five feet away from it.

Katarzyna turned back to the girl. She recognized her as the girl she'd seen earlier that day—the girl who'd let her escape. She was an Eastern girl who was slightly shorter than Kat, with long black hair tied up in a high ponytail. She had a small stature and from a distance one might be surprised by how quick and strong she was at her size, but up close Kat could see the muscle in her arms and the strength in her grip on her sword. She wore a long white silk robe and pants with a dragon design embedded on them, and the white robe contrasted with her dark hair and eyes. _Her eyes. _The girl's eyes were a deep brown, almost black, with thick full lashes and arched eyebrows. Her jawline was hard, giving her an almost masculine look. She scowled at Kat.

Kat lowered her bow, not taking her eyes off the girl, and slowly raised her hands. Surely the meaning was the same through all language barriers, right? The universal surrender sign.

The girl raised her chin slightly, still wary and suspicious, but tucked her sword back into the sheath on her back and stepped down over the rocks, heading toward Kat. Kat gulped when she came nearer, expecting her to hit or kick out at her. Instead, she held out her hand.

Kat stared at it, dumbfounded.

"Take it. I'll help you up."

A jolt went through Kat, and she obediently and graciously took the girls' hand. _She…she can speak the language of the West. _The girl had a thick Eastern accent, but was clearly fluent in it nonetheless.

She hoisted Kat up onto the rock she was standing on with immediate strength Kat did not think she had. Then she climbed the next rock, turned, and looked down at Kat. Strands of hair framed her face. "Again."

Kat took her hand, and the girl helped her up the rest of the way until they were all the way up the cliff. When she glanced all the way back down at where she'd been, she winced. She hadn't realized she'd been down so deep, in grave danger of falling down the steep valley below to her death.

Sensing the presence, Kat turned back to the girl and observed her warily. The girl was doing the same, only she didn't look afraid. She stood straight and confident, with her arms down by her sides, as though she were used to meeting strangers. Kat imagined she herself looked like how she felt—wanting to fall into a hole and disappear. It took all her might to tear her eyes away.

The girl took a step forward, and Kat willed herself to stay in place. "My name is Eona." She held a hand out.

Kat took her hand. Eona had a firm grasp. _Eona,_ she thought. _Eona. _Eona looked fearless, yet myserious. Who knew what was under those eyes?

"I'm Katarzyna…or Kat, if that's easier."

"Do you have any family looking for you?"

"Uh…no. No, they…" Kat cleared her throat. Short answer. "They're dead."

Eona nodded, expressionless, blank. She was so hard to read. "Listen, if you have a village or a home, I suggest you get back to your people as soon as possible. My people aren't willing to take any—"

Kat felt the hairs on the back of neck stand and with a sudden realization, spun around. A tall Eastern man with a long thick braid and an elegant, luxurious robe was staring down at her with hostile eyes. He called something in his own language and two other men emerged from the woods and seized Kat by the arms, dragging her forward. She could hear shouting behind her; Eona. She didn't know what Eona was saying. Only that she was angry and attempting follow, but being stopped by the man in the robe. He was arguing with her loudly and she was arguing back louder.

They marched her all the way through the woods, back on the path she'd been on and passing the point where her and Eona first crossed paths; they'd walked at a speedy pace until the woods opened up and they'd reached a field. It was a large field full of crops and people gardening. Every single one of them looked up and their mouths hung open. Kat didn't know where to look—at them, at the ground, or back to see if Eona was following.

Finally they'd reached a small brick structure, almost shack-like, and went in. Kat knew exactly where she was the moment she saw the vertical ceiling-to-floor bars. One of them grabbed her bow and the other one took the case of arrows off her back, leaving her weaponless. Then one of them slid the cell door open, causing a loud creaking sound, while the other nudged her in. She scuttled in without a fight. If she tried resisting, they'd probably shove her or throw her in. Otherwise they didn't seem intent on harming her.

The guards left and she was alone in the dank, quiet cell. Wondering when they would come back, she took in her surroundings, the brick walls, the bars on the small window that sat up near the ceiling. She shivered. Kat had wanted to get away from her village for a very long time, but not quite like this. This is not how the escape fantasies and tales in her mind had gone.

The prison was cold and damp. It was also lonely. She knew the guards, or even worse the man she'd encountered in the woods, would be back. She willed the thought away. She didn't _want _them to be back. Then another thought ran across her mind: _Eona._ Maybe Eona would come to see her. She'd seemed eager to let her go and to follow when the men had taken her. Kat still didn't know very much about this girl, but she'd spared her her life and seemed like the only remotely friendly one Kat had encountered so far. It was more welcoming to think about Eona coming in next than one of the men.

Unfortunately it was the latter. The sharp screech of cell door sliding back made Kat's ears ring. There was only one person standing in front of her, hard gaze and cold set jaw. The long braid and elaborate robe. Somehow, even not knowing his name or who he was, Kat could still tell he was the one in charge here.

She had thought too soon. For when Eona walked in right afterwards, Kat could tell it was her who was the head person in charge here. She looked so young, yet seemed so mature at the same time. If Kat didn't know any better, she'd think Eona were a wise elder in a young person's body.

The two of them began engaging in a heated discussion that Kat could not understand at all. The words were so different from her own that she wouldn't even be able to guess. All she knew was that neither one was going to back down.

* * *

"She is not a threat," Eona said.

"She is a threat indeed and does not serve any purpose here."

"She will stay in my quarters."

There was a disturbing silence that seemed to envelope them. Kygo's enraged features seemed to make it worse, making it close in on them and suffocate everyone, even Kat, who appeared confused and frightened.

"I—I beg your pardon, my Lady?" Kygo said incredulously.

"I will take her in."

"_Your _quarters?" Kygo said, he voice getting higher with every word. "You mean _our_ quarters. And I do not recall giving anybody permission to do that."

"No, I'm correct," Eona said. "I did not say our quarters. I said my quarters." She turned to Kat and gestured for her to follow. The cage door was still open. Kat's eyes were wider than Eona thought possible on a person. She could tell she wanted to ask what was going on, but thought better of it.

There was a crowd gathered around outside. They'd obviously been chattering excitedly, but when Eona came out with Kat, all was silent. Eona didn't have to push any of them out of their way; they naturally separated and made way for her. People, complete strangers, were close enough to touch. Kat saw one woman with her hair tied up in a bun whose mouth hung open, then closed, then opened again, her face in utter disarray. Kat couldn't tell if the woman was angry or disgusted or scared or just confused. She was almost sure someone would reach out and grab her but they didn't. She was also afraid of accidentally walking into Eona and what kind of repercussions that would have.

Luckily she never walked into her. When they arrived at the void cabin beside the one Eona and Kygo had been sharing for the past couple of months, Eona slid the door open and stepped inside. Kat followed, glancing around curiously. "It's empty," she said.

"Yes," Eona said. "But not for long. Wait here until I come back." She very well knew that Kat could escape at any moment; run right through the entrance, break the window on the far opposite wall and escape to the woods. But Eona had an instinct inside her that told her she could trust Kat. That though this girl may be afraid, she wasn't going to go anywhere.

Eona stepped outside of the cabin. Sliding the door shut behind her, separating her and Kat, she turned and came face to face with Kygo. It was as though he appeared out of thin air. "My Lady," he said in a thin voice that said his patience had all but run out. "This is not your decision to make. She does not belong with one of us. In fact, we are being far more tolerable than we ought to be just by letting her live."

"That's your solution for everything, isn't it your Highness? To kill people you're not familiar with or that you don't like?"

Kygo's face seemed to rearrange itself in a mask of fury. Those same gentle features that Eona had once loved—or thought she did—were gone. She thought she'd loved a lot of people. "This is different and you know it," he said through clenched teeth. "She is not one of us. She is not to be trusted. This is an outrage."

"Ah. So people you don't trust as well."

"You ultimately can choose to leave my space if this so convinces you to do so. That, I cannot stop. I suppose you will also keep the girl with you too, no matter how much I try to prevent it."

"Katarzyna. That is her name. Katarzyna or Kat."

"Regardless of what her name is," Kygo said dismissively, "I will not have you anymore if you dare do this."

Eona chose her next words carefully. "Something that you have always failed to realize, your Highness," Eona said, "is that I was _never _yours_._"

* * *

For much of the rest of the day, Kat had simply stayed out of the way as Eona moved a bed into the cabin, a desk, and a few other things. Kat asked if Eona wanted her to help but Eona just said, "I've got this. It will be done soon."

When all of the belongings had been settled into Eona's cabin (Kat still had a hard time thinking of it as 'their' cabin), and the sun was beginning to set, Eona led her outside to the bathhouse. Some of the people had given Kat dirty looks. Some had merely gawked curiously. She was a curiosity here—it appeared as though the only one who knew how to speak the Western language was Eona. Eona said she'd found books, very old books with ancient symbols and translations in them that she'd been going through for the past couple of months—it was impressive. Kat could not imagine learning so much of a language in such a short span of time. And from seeing the Easterners talk and debate and argue amongst each other, she definitely couldn't imagine learning a language that different in so little time.

The women stared awkwardly in the bathhouse while Eona helped Kat to wash her long hair and scrub her back in areas she couldn't reach. Kat's hair was about as long as Eona's, she'd discovered, when Eona took her hair down to wash it too.

About half an hour later, Eona sat behind Kat on the front steps of their cabin, combing her hair. She hadn't said more than a couple words to Kat but she assumed she was as tired as she was. Luckily by now since it was nearly dark, most people were either inside their own cabins or not bothering to look in their direction anymore. And most of the other cabins were far away from their own anyway. Whenever they would pass someone earlier it was a bit of a mix of reactions. They would regard Kat with wariness but they would nod or bow to Eona. She had a certain air to her that made people respect her, or maybe even fear her. Even the man himself, whose cabin was the only one close by, had allowed Eona to decide what to do with Kat.

After a few minutes of working up the nerve, Kat finally asked, "Who is the man in the long robe that you were talking to earlier?"

She felt Eona pause in combing her hair and Kat internally cringed, wishing she hadn't asked. "That's Emperor Kygo," Eona said. "He is the emperor of the Celestial Empire."

"Celestial Empire?"

"Yes. It was called that because—" She stopped combing Kat's hair again and sighed. She put both hands firmly on Kat's shoulders and slowly turned her so that Kat was facing up at her. "Our empire has a very long history, and it will probably take a while to tell it to you. Are you willing to listen, or would you rather go to sleep right now?"

But Kat couldn't possibly sleep now. She only was concerned of how it would affect Eona. "If you don't want to tell me, I…I understand." She looked to the ground. It seemed like there was a long silence stretching out between them until Eona finally said, "Alright. I'll tell you. Let's go sit near the fire."

* * *

"I used to be a Dragoneye." Eona and Kat sat facing each other, each on a log, with nothing but a small fire between them. The shadows of the flames danced across Eona's face as she recounted her tale, making her look even more haunted by the memories than she already looked. At points in the story she would get a faraway look in her eyes, and almost a smile that never quite reached them, remembering her days of training to become an apprentice and then finally succeeding at becoming the Ascendant Dragoneye. She told of its brutal powers, and savage ruthless people she'd had to face, sounding like villains in some of the stories Kat had read. Actually, the entire thing sounded so epic she wondered for just one second if Eona was making it all up. But when she looked into her eyes, she could tell she was not. She _could_ not. No one could possibly come up with anything this detailed in their mind alone.

"We lost them," she said towards the end. "We lost the dragons." There was a wistful tone to her voice that sent shivers down Kat's spine. Was this what was causing all of the disasters to happen? Her people had believed differently, that the deity they believed in had become angry and was now unleashing havoc and vengeance in its wake. She supposed every group of people had their beliefs, but what Eona was telling her sounded far more detailed than any of them.

It all sounded very impressive, but very dark and disturbing as well.

Eona stood up and poured a bucket of water on the fire, leaving not a single glowing ember behind. She walked toward the cabin without a word, Kat following. This was one of the most solemn stories she'd ever heard. She remembered as a child sitting around a camp fire with her parents and older brother, and each would take turns telling stories, either made up ones or real accounts, especially her parents. But they would talk about happy or funny memories. It was a time of joy and laughter. It was never like this. Eona, with her youthful face, reminded Kat of an elderly person remembering something from their past that they didn't want to remember, remembering something not with fondness, but with despair. Perhaps she didn't have many happy memories to recount.

Kat stood awkwardly in the middle of the small cabin as Eona was arranging an assortment of sheets and blankets on the ground, along with making up the sheets on the mattress of the wooden bed beside it that her and another woman had brought in earlier. The man—Kygo—had looked like he offered to help, but whatever argument Eona and him had had must have still been fresh, as she said something to him, to which point he crossed his arms and glared, watching her move out of his cabin. Kat gathered from their loud exchange that they must still be at it, very strongly.

The woman had looked very much like Eona. Was she her mother? Sister? Aunt?

"Kat." Kat's attention snapped back to Eona. She was standing right in front of her. "I said, do you have any family or relatives or friends?"

"I have nothing to go back to," Kat said, looking away sheepishly. She knew her face by now was blood-red.

Eona put one hand on Kat's shoulder, palm first, then slowly putting each finger down. Her hand felt rough, as though it had just gotten finished doing heavy work—work that Kat had grown up being taught men did. "Katarzyna—or Kat—if you have nothing to go back to, then you can live here with me now." Eona stared at her for a second and then nodded, as though to re-emphasize what she just said. She started back toward the bed and Kat turned and made her way toward the mess of sheets on the ground.

"Where are you going? That's not your bed."

Kat glanced up, startled. It wasn't? Eona must've been pulling a joke on her, though she didn't seem to be the joking type.

"Your bed is right here," Eona said, patting a hand on the bed. Kat gazed down in disbelief at the made up blankets and pillows on the soft satin sheets. _Were _they satin? That didn't seem to fit a cabin. It was something that belonged in a palace or castle.

"I…I couldn't," she stammered. "I'm your…" _Prisoner, _she wanted to say. "Guest."

"You are my guest, and that's why you're getting the bed. I'm fine sleeping on the floor. This is the only bed we have in here right now."

It was so opposite of where she'd just been. The contrast of sleeping in that little hut with barely enough room to even stretch her legs out on the stiff blanket-covered straw bed and this was almost too much for Kat.

"I insist that I'm okay with the floor," Kat said. "Please. I mean it. You've already done so much for me."

Eona stared at her for a moment and then nodded her head. "Alright. If you insist."

Kat felt unbelievably comfortable when she awoke in the morning. The sun shone through the small window and the soft sheets rested comfortably on her body. Sheets…

She slowly sat up and felt around, glancing everywhere with tired eyes. She was on a bed, not the floor. Her eyes came to a halt and rested on Eona, who was sleeping soundly on the other side of the small cabin, underneath blankets, on the floor.

But Kat could've sworn she'd remembered laying down in that exact spot before falling asleep last night.


	3. Maternal Instincts

**Chapter 3-Maternal Instincts**

Over the next couple of months Kat gradually settled down in her new home, if she could call it that. Things could've been better—she barely talked to anyone, even Eona. She imagined they were both wary of each other. Eona probably didn't fully trust her yet, and she couldn't blame her. She hardly knew if she herself fully trusted Eona yet either.

But things also could've been worse. Every night when Kat went to bed, she went to sleep on an actual _bed _that was comfortable and cozy. Every morning when she woke up, she wasn't scared or cramped like she had been in her old village. She actually had enough room for her legs and enough breathing space. There was no one to peek in through a hole in the wall which served as a window to throw anything at her or call her names. She was protected from the cold weather and rain. And every day, Eona gave her lighter easier tasks, such as finding firewood or fruits in the nearby woods, which was plentiful. There was always enough to eat. Hunters brought back game and meat. There was much more here than there'd been around her own village, where food source was scarce.

Eona's hands were small but rough, and she saw how meticulously they worked through every menial task she performed, such as planting seeds, setting up the fire, preparing food, and washing clothes. Kat had noticed when leaving the cabin the first time that two long, thin swords lay by Eona's bed inside their sheaths. She took them with her whenever she went hunting. Kat felt a little alarmed and panicky whenever Eona went with the group to go hunting or to protect their borders from invaders, as she would be left alone with no one to talk to. But she stuck through it with calming breaths and just focused on her work until Eona got back. There had not been a problem yet.

In time people stopped staring at her, though she could still occasionally feel their eyes on her back, judging her. She could tell some of them didn't want her here. But as long as Eona was around, she needn't worry.

Eona pointed out some of the people that she knew, when her and Kat would make small talk while doing work or sitting down. She pointed out Lady Dela, whom Kat realized was the same woman who'd been looking at her open-mouthed when she first entered the village. She had her own garden in front of her cabin that she shared with her father and she worked in it every day. There was a mass of colorful flowers throughout—tulips, daiseys, buttercups, red ferns, and many others. She always had a sad look on her face, not tired from working hard, but defeated. As though she'd lost something very important and would never get it back.

There was also Rilla, a woman who worked in the closest cabin to their own after Kygo's, but still significantly far away. Kat could see her washing clothes in a large bowl behind the cabin. In the meantime, there was a tall boy in that same cabin who brought back water from the well and was chopping up vegetables to put in a soup. Was he her son? Nephew?

There was also her mother, yet strangely Eona spent little time talking or even interacting with her. Her mother—aside from Kygo when they were making decisions or discussing serious matters—was the only one she spoke to at all, besides Kat herself, when she spoke to anyone.

She supposed Eona mentioned these people to lessen the unfamiliarity of the place for Kat. So she could at least know what these peoples' names were and get used to seeing them every day. But they were still so much a mystery to her. Eona obviously knew them on a personal level, but other than that, she didn't let on how she felt about them.

One day when Kat was helping Eona pull out carrots from the vast garden almost in the center of the village, she said, "You seem kind of…sore. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes I'm fine," Eona said. "Things could be a lot worse."

"Sore wasn't the right word. Lonely. Isolated. You seem isolated from everybody here even though they're right here. You just don't seem to talk to them very much." She was surprised at how quickly the words tumbled out of her mouth. It was the most she'd said to Eona since her first night here.

Eona glanced up, looking equally surprised. Kat looked down, focus back on the plants. "You just seem to have such an influence on them. I mean…I'm here, aren't I?" And people had left her alone. It was as though Eona set up an aura around them, protecting both her and Kat from outside influences. "Are you close to anyone here?"

"No."

"Oh." Kat looked up, only to see Eona going back to work on the plants again as well. "You just seem lonely." _You just said that,_ she thought._ Stop repeating yourself._

She'd thought the conversation was done when Eona didn't answer for a long time. "I manage most days," she finally said. Kat wondered if she was imagining the slight smile on Eona's face as she worked—the slight sad smile.

* * *

Eona could feel Kat's eyes on her the whole time she was working. It didn't bother her. She merely noticed it. No one else had shown any interest in her, though that was likely because she'd shown no interest in them. As promised to herself, she kept her distance, and barely interacted with anybody. Only when necessary.

She'd avoided not only Dela and Vida, but Chart as well. Partly out of shame—she regretted healing him because she'd wrongly assumed he'd prefer that at the cost of his will. And she'd wrongly assumed he would trust that she would not hurt him or control him at any cost. Which brought her to the other part of why she avoided him—out of animosity. Didn't he know that she'd only been trying to help? Why did he suddenly believe that someone who'd been his friend for four years, someone who'd lived with him, someone who'd always treated him with kindness and respect, would choose to cause him pain? She'd wanted to make all this perfectly clear to him herself, but Ryko got to him first.

The same white hot anger coursed through her veins. They were all perfectly willing to sit back and watch her be forced to compel Ido into burning himself in front of everyone. Even though Ido was a man with no limits and no human empathy, did that not make them as bad as him? Yet when she wanted to prove the good that her power could do, she is marked the corrupt one. How was comfortably watching a man, no matter how bad he was, get publically burned any better?

These thoughts kept running through Eona's head for much of the day. She was sitting under a tree near the far edge of the woods, shading herself from the noonday sun. A flash of color appeared before her eyes and she looked up to see Lillia, her mother, standing over her in a dark robe. "May I sit here?" she asked quietly, gesturing to a boulder next to Eona.

Eona hesitated before giving a curt nod.

She and Lillia had barely spoken to each other since their reunion on the boat last year. But Eona had noticed Lillia following her around quite a bit. Whenever she went for her morning walk, whenever she went to get food or water, she would notice Lillia watching her and following her not too far behind. She didn't try to hide. She knew Eona knew she was right there, about twenty feet behind her. She never got really close to Eona though. She just walked at a slow pace, enough to keep Eona in her view, but never tried to approach Eona directly. Occasionally Eona would turn and see that Lillia wasn't there anymore. This was true for all the times Eona went to her secret lake, which was good. But anytime she would return to her cabin, Lillia would be sitting nearby at the edge of the forest, on a rock or under a tree, watching Eona go inside. She'd also follow Eona to the edge of the forest when Eona went with Kygo to search the area, scouring for anything new, including any threats—such as people. But Lillia would stop right at the edge, never going any further like she would when Eona was just going for a walk. She knew it might be dangerous for her. And possibly for Eona too. Lillia always had a dark look in her eyes whenever Eona walked out of sight for one of those missions. As though she thought it might be the last sight of her she'd ever get.

There'd been one instance recently when Eona had been at the well, filling up a wooden bucket of water almost all the way to the brim. She almost swayed while holding it, her hands trembling just a little bit, but she had it under control. Lillia had appeared right there, out of nowhere, and reached her hands out. _"Do you need help with that?" _she'd asked. _"No, I've got it,"_ Eona had responded, a litter harsher than she'd planned. She could've sworn she'd seen a flash of pain shoot across Lillia's eyes for one instant, but it was gone. She just bit her lip and nodded. Eona used to think her ability to shield her emotions and keep her expressions calm was something she'd only learned over time, but now she was wondering if maybe she'd gotten it from her mother. _"I'm okay,"_ Eona had amended in a softer voice. She'd turned and walked away with the water. That was the only speaking interaction they'd had.

Lillia and her sat there while birds flew to their nests, rodents scoured for food, hyenas hunted, and who knew what else. The world went on around them. Eona found Lillia's constant presence to be strangely comforting, even though she barely knew the woman who was mother, or anything about her, save the fact that she sold her when Eona was six.

Lillia broke the silence like crushed ice when she started speaking in a soft but firm voice.

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness," Lillia said. She paused for almost as long as they'd sat there for. "And I know…at this point…you have very good reason not to trust me. To not want me back in your life, at all." She paused again. She kept glancing up at Eona while she spoke, even though Eona could tell she was clearly uncomfortable with it and wanted to keep looking at the ground. "But I'm going to say it anyway, and you can walk away and ignore it if you want to. I'm here for you if you need me. If…you need someone." She quickly turned back to the ground again. Her face was strangely relaxed, yet behind it there seemed to be only a thread holding it all together. As though if Eona were to say exactly the right thing—or wrong thing—it would all fall apart.

"Thank you," Eona said warily. She said it more out of politeness than anything else. While she was sure about her feelings on everyone else, Lillia still remained a mystery to her, and probably would be forever. It didn't really bother Eona. She wasn't entirely interested in getting to know this woman. It was difficult to even think of her as her mother. It was too late to recuperate any kind of relationship among them that may or may not have existed. _Did, _Eona corrected herself. Something _did _exist. She just didn't think they'd ever get it back. But from time to time, she remembered an era of her life when the world actually seemed safe. Because to her, the world was nothing but that white sandy beach and ocean beyond that her and Lillia would sit on night after night. She'd assumed they sat in silence, kind of like what they were doing right now. But then she recalled an oddly familiar tune in her head from time to time, sometimes waking up out of deep dream from it. Eona could never recall the tune again, but she wondered if it was something her mother had hummed or sang. All she had heard and read about babies, which admittedly wasn't very much, had said they could remember things they'd been exposed to at a very young age.

"Do you remember anything?"

She remembered running toward Lillia's open arms, Lillia smiling and laughing the whole time. She couldn't imagine the woman sitting beside her smiling right now. It truly was a different time and place. It may as well have been a different universe.

"A little," Eona said. She didn't elaborate.

Lillia nodded and gave a little sigh. "I don't expect you to remember very much. You were so young."

They sat there for minutes to hours before Eona looked over and noticed that Lillia had fallen asleep. How long had she been asleep? She wanted to drape a blanket over her and carry her to her cabin. But instead she gently nudged her shoulder and woke her up, before walking away to do more work.

* * *

Eona lay on the floor in the heap of sheets and cloths sound asleep. She was completely still, save for the slight slow and gradual up-and-down movement of her chest. Her eyes had been shut for a long time and she hadn't moved position once since lying down. She must've been in a very deep sleep.

_This cannot be comfortable, _Kat thought. She'd wanted to convince Eona for months that it was perfectly okay for her to take back the bed, but she was always afraid to broach the subject. Now that Eona was asleep and she was wide awake, it was the perfect opportunity to return the favor that Eona had done for her her first night here, when she'd carried her over to the bed.

And the perfect opportunity to use her power on her, the power that made her a pariah her entire life in the villages she grew up in.

She shouldn't. She really, really shouldn't. _Why am I even contemplating this?_

But she was too cowardly to ask Eona straight to her face more about her life, her family, her background…her experiences with these people that she seemed to have such a frail and shaky relationship with.

Scooping her up in her arms, Kat felt the brush of Eona's warm skin on hers…on her hand. They connected.

Then a barrage of Eona's memories started flowing through her.

* * *

While they were helping in the grand garden with the plants and food the next day, Kat couldn't keep her thoughts away from all that she'd seen last night when she'd touched Eona.

_A toddler Eona, sitting on the sand by the ocean with a grown young woman with her arm wrapped around her. She had long dark hair and some of the same features as Eona. The same narrow nose, the same arched eyebrows…her mother? She was drawing something in the dirt with a stick. Or maybe she was writing something…_

About a year later…

_Eona five or six years old, getting whipped by a big, angry, scary-looking man, and given little to no food day to day. Watching a woman coughing and taking quick, shallow breaths until she was dead. Lots of salt in the air…_

A couple years later…

_Eona getting beaten with a hammer, thus permanently damaging her hip and making it a struggle just to get around every day. Very few of the citizens seem to be sympathetic towards her situation. In fact, they seem to think it's more of a plight on them._

A couple years later…

_Her friend manipulating her into healing a man. Destruction of a village. Thirty-six people dead…_

_Thirty-six…_

_Thirty-six…_

"_I hope you are well worth all of this, because so far, you have done more harm than good. And part of me was hoping you would not wake up."_

_What about the woman who _made _her do it?_

Kat continued to dig through the dirt. Her sides ached. She felt Eona move over to her side. "Are you alright?" she asked. Her voice sounded distant.

"Yes." Kat smiled to hide the anger and sadness bubbling up inside of her.

_The man whose life was saved jumping up and shaming her in front of everyone. Later, he enlists her help, claiming she owes him._

_Self-entitlement if I have ever seen it, _Kat thought with immediate disgust.

_The emperor forces Eona to compel—to physically control—the man. Ryko? Is that his name? Eona just called him Ryko…his name comes up again as she is being blamed by the women for it happening._

Now she was starting to feel nauseous. She wanted to push all the images and memories—memories that weren't even hers—out of her head, but they just kept coming, faster than the one before.

_Eona attempting to stop a cyclone from destroying a boat. Ryko grabbing her and throwing her around, growling in her ear. "Stupid girl!"_

Kat shuddered.

_Eona healing her friend, giving him a healthy back bone, so he can rise up to his full height and articulate with anyone he wants to._

_Ryko claiming Eona is now just like Ido. That she doesn't care about anybody but herself. That she is sleeping with Ido. _

Kat turned away from every face in sight and scampered over to the trees, her body contorting as she regurgitated the little bit of bread she'd had that morning. Those who were nearby glanced up in alarm. Eona looked up worriedly and walked over to Kat's side, holding her hair back. When Kat was finished, Eona gripped her gently but firmly on the shoulders and led her to their house. Sliding the screen door open, she stepped in, taking Kat by the arm and pulling her toward the bed. Everything was much darker in here without the bright sunlight, and Kat's hearing was suddenly much better. She could hear the slightest of sounds in the quiet of their cabin; their footsteps. The drawing of curtains to bring a little bit of light into the room. Eona's breathing.

Kat sat down on the bed, Eona sitting down next to her with a cautious arm around her shoulders to steady her, as if she were afraid of smothering Kat. She put a light hand on Kat's forehead. "You okay? You can lie down if you need to."

Kat nodded. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, either from the day's heat or from being so close to Eona, she couldn't tell which. Suddenly she felt glad the room was mostly dark. She was sweaty and probably very red, and her hair stuck to her face. _Oh, shut up about your insecurities, Kat. Everybody else is hot too._

Eona gathered up Kat's hair at the nape of her neck and started to wrap it around several times, taking a pin and knotting it in place. Not too tight, not too loose. Just right. "This might help a little. If we get a breeze sometime today, that is."

Kat tried to giggle, but it came out sounding like an awkward whimper. "I guess I'm just not used to this kind of heat. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize." Suddenly Eona glanced up and Kat knew she'd felt a presence too before looking up. A girl stood in the doorway, who had her dark hair tied up like Eona. They had more or less the same frame, but this girl was a little taller and had different features from Eona.

"Is everything okay? Dela asked me to come and see if you guys needed any help."

Kat felt her insides burn. This was the same girl who'd blamed Eona for the village. Who'd known Eona was going to throw up and didn't care—why did she care about her, _Kat_, throwing up? And that Dela woman…the one who'd made Eona do it and then sent Vida to go and fetch and retrieve information out of Eona in the bathhouse. There were so many memories Kat could not keep track of. All she knew was that this _Dela _had people asking her "How high" whenever she said "Jump" and Ryko had everyone rushing to his side whenever he so much as said "Ouch." The two of them pretended to be so oppressed, when really they had people feeding out of the palms of their hands.

"No, we're fine, thanks," Eona said shortly.

Kat gave a small smile and nodded. _Tell Dela to worry about her own damn self, _she wanted to add.

"Okay," Vida said slowly, nodding back. She stood awkwardly in the doorway. "Well, let us know if you need anything."

Eona nodded until Vida turned and left. Eona followed her and slid the door shut. When she turned around and faced Kat she sighed, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. Kat giggled, this time a real one. Eona glanced sharply at her, but there was a smile playing around on her own lips as well.

"I'll only be a few minutes," Eona said. "You lie down and rest, alright?" She squeezed Kat's shoulder. Kat lay her head down and felt the soft caress of the bed and blankets beneath her. They felt cool to the touch. She was beginning to cool off as she breathed in and out. The sweat was starting to go away. Having her long thick hair pulled up and out of the way really made a difference.

When Eona returned, she was carrying two things—a bucket of cold water and a large porcelain mug of cold water. Both were fresh. Kat sat up, wrapped her hands around the giant mug, and sipped. It had numerous wide thick strokes of calligraphy embedded into it. Eona held it for her too, probably not wanting to risk Kat dropping it and shattering it into a million pieces. Kat couldn't blame her.

"Good?" Eona slowly took the mug back and Kat nodded. "It'll be right here if you want more," Eona said, placing it on the stool. She then picked up the bucket of water. There was a cloth hanging over the side of it and Eona picked it up and dipped it in the water. Holding the bucket steadily between her and Kat, she lifted the wet cloth to Kat's face and patted it gently on her cheeks and neck. "Can you lean your head down for me a little?" Kat did, and Eona placed the cool cloth on the back of Kat's neck, gently pressing down. She took some water in her hands and dampened Kat's face with it. It felt good and nourishing.

When they were finished, Eona took the cloth and bucket of water and turned toward the door. She glanced back awkwardly at Kat. "I'll be right back?" she said.

Luckily Kat didn't feel nauseous anymore and could actually speak without the urge to throw up. "Thank you," she said, embarrassed by how softly it came out. She cleared her throat. "Thank you," she said more firmly.

Eona bowed her head, the corners of her mouth rising subtly.

Kat sat on the edge of the bed, gripping the mattress, in a trance. Her knuckles turned white, and tried not to let the memories make her sick again. She willed her body to remain calm. Now she had the answers…now she had the answers to her questions. Eona was no longer a mystery. It was no wonder she barely interacted with anybody. Her friends had used her and abused her, yet it was she who was treated as a criminal. She who was blamed for tragedies. She who was bombarded with accusations and grief. She who had a stigma against her.

That day all she could think about was Eona's life. A life in which she had no business knowing about or even judging, but she couldn't help it. But unlike most people (most of the people Eona has encountered anyway), Kat wasn't judging her. No. Eona is the last person Kat would judge. Eona was a hero…she saved a boat. She saved a man from sinking into a mudslide. She saved a man from dying. She _saved _people…and she'd saved her. Kat knew were it anybody else, she'd be dead by now. Or locked up indefinitely.

* * *

Eona and Kat were standing up, tending to the fire outside in front of their cabin. The noonday sun was slowly setting. Most of the day was over. She could wait until tomorrow to bring it up. She should never bring it up at all, but the guilt and shame she felt would continue to eat her alive if she didn't come clean now. And the need to comfort Eona.

"Um…Eona?" Eona glanced up, looking tired but fully attentive. "I…I have something to tell you."

Eona nodded.

"I…need to tell you something."

"Alright." Eona folded her arms. When Kat didn't respond, she casually focused on the fire again. "Is it easier if I don't look at you?" No response. Kat's heart was beating and falling straight through her ribcage. "Kat, the hardest part is over. You've approached me. But please don't make this a guessing game. I promise I'll help you, whatever it is."

Kat took a tentative step forward, not knowing how to do this. "Ryko isn't your fault," she blurted out before she could think any longer.

Eona's eyes flew up and stared at her. Her shocked gaze seemed to pierce Kat straight through her skull. Kat hadn't wanted to bite around the bush for fear that it would delay her even more and make both of them more stressed. Now she was wishing she had. Both ways had their advantage. But the truth was never going to be pretty.

Eona's eyes were still glued to her. In some bizarre way, even though she wasn't wearing the serious scowl that she always wore that normally intimidated Kat, she was much angrier right this moment than she'd ever been before. Angry or fearful. Probably both. She took a step forward while Kat took one back. Somehow Eona suddenly seemed taller than Kat. She felt like shrinking away from her. "Eona—"

Eona firmly took Kat's arm and steered her around the cabin toward the back where they were out of sight. She could feel sheer strength in it that didn't match her size. When it was just the two of them and some trees, she hissed, "Who told you about that?"

"No one. I can read your mind. I can read anyone's mind, if I only touch them. When I touch somebody, it allows me to see into their mind and memories. It allows me to see their whole life. Anything that's ever happened to them, anything they've ever said or done, anything they've ever felt…anything they've ever been through. I can know anyone's life story right away. It doesn't just happen when I touch them. I have to make a little effort. But it's not hard, and Eona…" Kat took a deep breath, knowing she had no business saying this, but she couldn't stop herself. "What happened with Ryko was not your fault."

She could see the stark pain in Eona's face, her eyes, at the mere mention of the name 'Ryko'. Kat briefly remembered while sifting through Eona's memories some of Eona's earliest encounters with him. Ryko used to be a man who understood friendship and loyalty, respect and honor. Duty. It had all changed so fast. Eon was good enough for him, but not Eona.

"You can…read minds?" For the first time, Eona looked terrified. Of her. Somehow, this made Kat feel even more ashamed than when Eona was angry.

"Y-yes." Kat backed away, looking down at the ground. "Only when I have physical contact with somebody. Are you…are you going to kill me?"

Eona frowned. "No. No, I'm not going to kill you, Kat. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to judge you either. As I've made mistakes in the past myself." Eona went near the trees and sat down in a shady spot. Kat found a rock near Eona and sat down opposite of her. Eona looked like she had something else to say, but was holding it for a while. Finally she put her hand out and said, "Prove it to me."

"Prove it?"

"Touch me. Take my hand and tell what I'm thinking about right now." Eona made sure to think of something she'd never told anyone before.

Kat lifted her hand uneasily and took Eona's hand in hers. Eona's dark hand against her pale one. It felt warm and strong. Kat felt bony and brittle in comparison.

Closing her eyes, she let it come to her: _An image of Eona as a little girl, probably no more than five. She was sitting on the sand with a young woman next to her. The green-blue waves crashed against rocks in the distance, white foam spreading out, releasing a salty scent in the air. The woman had one arm around her while writing in the dirt with the other. She resembled Eona so much, just as she did now. The woman had barely aged. She had Eona's features—her eyes, nose, mouth, bone structure. She was a little taller than Eona, but with the same slender built and even a similar way of walking. The sun was almost about to set. Then the image flashed to Eona running towards her mother. Were they playing a game? Her mother was pretending to run away from her, but clearly running slow enough so that Eona could catch up. When she did, her mother lifted her up in her arms and playfully swung her in the air. "You caught me!" she said. "You're such a fast girl!" Eona giggled. Her smile seemed to light up her whole face, something Kat had never seen before. Her mother continued walking down the beach with her daughter in her arms, and Eona felt peaceful and calm. Serene, tranquil. Content. She was not the least bit aware of any of the dangers that lurked beyond this happy place._

Kat's eyes fluttered open in surprise. "That was your mother." She was always nearby, watching her and Eona. Kat never knew what the woman was thinking. She seemed close enough to watch Eona and whatever she was doing, but distant enough that it was easy to forget she was there at all.

"You lying to them wasn't a mistake," Kat said, suddenly finding her voice. She wasn't fearful now; just angry. "The only mistake you ever made was trusting them, when they didn't trust you. It's not your fault they could never handle the truth. You knew how they would react, and you lied to them _because _of that very reaction. They were deceitful toward you. They made you think you were special to them. That you were worthy of their respect. That they were not only your allies, but your friends. You cared about them from the very beginning. They only cared about you when you were Eon." She got up and walked over to Eona, who glanced up warily. "It was never you that needed fixing." Kat stopped in front of her and lightly put her hand on Eona's shoulder. "It was them. _They _betrayed _you._"

Without initially realizing it, Eona was nodding her head. She'd already known all this in the back of her mind. She'd had a long time to think things over since the war ended and they'd settled down. She could still see the scathing look on Ryko's face, the verbal slap Dela had given her when he was dying, the way Vida lashed at her when she'd healed him, not at all intending for the consequences that occurred…

How could she have ever thought they were her friends?

"I like a girl who goes for what she wants." Kat smiled. "It's a _good _thing, Eona. You mustn't forget that." Kat felt a strange confidence surge through her. This was the first time she was speaking to Eona as an equal. As a friend. "So…you're not going to punish me in any sort of way?"

"No," Eona answered. "I'm just going to ask that you not do that again. I'll tell you anything, if you only ask. If you trust me."

Kat recalled how Kygo had taken advantage of Eona, how all he'd needed to do was ask her if she'd healed him, rather than forcing an even bigger rift between her and Ryko. "I trust you. Do you trust me?"

Eona hesitated for a moment. "Yes."

"Where I come from, death would've been the punishment for what I did to you," Kat said in a hushed voice. "It is considered one of the most immoral things anybody can do. I'm inclined to agree to an extent." She lowered her head. Her hands were folded in front of her.

"I've never known a mind reader before," Eona said. "Are they more prevalent in the West?"

"I…I guess so. Where I lived, I was the only one I knew who had this…thing." She couldn't really call it a gift. "I don't even know any ancestors that had it. No one knows quite how it happens. Some people are simply born with it." She paused. "It was a strange thing. At times, it would seem like a problem-solver, like something that could really help you. But at those same times…it feels immoral. How far do you go? Where do you draw the line? What if you really thought someone was hiding something important from you?"

"I'm sure it would be of use to many people." She bit back her next words. _Many people concerning me._

"Also, Eona." Kat didn't know quite how to say this next bit; she was sure Eona had already been shocked enough. "There's another thing I can do. Another thing that's equally controversial."

Eona raised her eyebrows, curiosity brimming in her eyes.

Kat whipped an arrow out from her back and shot it into the air. It ricocheted off the string like she was firing a death blow, and it hit a bird square through the middle. The little bird fell, dead before hitting the ground. It's plump body landed between Kat's feet.

She kept her expression neutral, but Eona could see a pang in her eyes. Kat knelt down beside the dead bird, and wretched the arrow out from its body. Blood spurted everywhere. She glanced up at Eona. She looked back down at the bird. Then she took Eona's wrist and pulled her down with her, still staring at the bird. "I want you to watch me," Kat said. "I want you to watch my hand, watch what I do. This is…also something I've never known anyone else to do. Something more controversial in nature than the mind reading."

Kat raised her left hand and faced it palm-down above the limp being. She sat up straight, her head raised toward the sky, eyes closed. In about five seconds, the bloody gash in the bird's body went away and closed up, the blood disappearing. The bird was still limp and unconscious. No signs of life. Then Kat placed both hands above its body, closer this time, about an inch, and closed her eyes once again—this time squeezing them shut, almost as though it pained her to do so. Nothing seemed to be happening, until the bird's body twitched and jerked, and a squeak came out of it. In a matter of seconds, it got up on its own two feet and started walking around again. Suddenly it ran, Eona's wide eyes following it, and it spread its wings. It took flight.

Kat opened her eyes, watching and staring up at the sky where the bird was once again, the way it had been before she shot it down. She didn't look amazed or even proud; just calm, like it was as simple and commonplace as breathing.

"By the gods," Eona whispered.

"By the gods?" Kat asked.

"Yes…I've read that your people tend to only believe in one god. But ours believe in many."

"I'm not sure what I believe in," Kat said solemnly. "I've questioned my faith a lot in the last few years."

"At times, I've questioned mine too."

"You have to take something like an arrow out before doing it though," Kat said. She didn't know why she was saying this, as though she were giving a tutorial on it, when it wasn't a power Eona had, or had ever even seen. "Otherwise when it comes back to life, the arrow will still be in it. Which will probably kill it. A little pointless and redundant, no?" She wanted to smile at her own joke, but didn't know if it would be appropriate rather than haughty.

When Eona cracked a smile, she knew it was safe to.


	4. Return of the Mirror Dragon

**Chapter 4-Return of the Mirror Dragon**

Sitting high up in a tree with a basket of picked fruits and a few eggs she'd mysteriously found on the ground on her walk in the woods that morning, Kat took in the leaves around her. She'd thought someone might've dropped the eggs, so she put them her basket, deciding to bring them back to Eona and ask.

Fruit was plentiful in the woods. She'd gathered berries from the bushes and was now plucking a few red and yellow apples off the trees—after, of course, asking Eona if the fruit here was safe rather than poisonous. She'd confirmed they were and Kat decided she wanted to spend the day picking as much as possible. She thought she might mix them up in a bowl later and give it to Eona as a snack, or perhaps cut them up and combine them with some meats and warm water to create a soup. She wasn't exactly sure yet, and she was never very good at making anything. But she wanted to do something for Eona, even if it wasn't very special. Just the thought of Eona smiling at her the way she had the other day made Kat's face warm.

She sat securely on a large sturdy branch, able to see bits of the earth beneath her through the maze of limbs and leaves. But she was well-hidden from anyone who might be passing by on the path below. Such as the person she saw now—tall, young, and vaguely familiar…

Chart. She recognized him almost instantaneously.

Kat felt something wet, thick, and gooey on her hand. When she looked down, she realized she'd crushed the egg and the yolk was dripping down her fingers. Pieces of the shell and their sharp ragged edges pressed into her skin.

And an idea came to her. A very immature, wasteful, and petty idea. But strangely satisfying and harmless as well. Mostly.

Holding out another egg, Kat gently tossed it a few inches into the air and caught it, getting ready. She looked down below, aimed at her target, and released the egg.

She heard a _crack!_ and splattering sound, followed by a gasp. She'd put the basket firmly between her thighs, which rested on either side of the branch, and held both hands to her mouth to keep from bursting out in laughter. She craned her head downward and could see Chart staring up at the tree in shock and confusion, but she knew he couldn't see her. Bright yellow egg yolk was smack in the center of his head, dribbling down his face. He kept wiping his hand on his head and glancing up at the tree, mouth wide open, no doubt wondering where in the garden of the gods did that egg come from.

She felt good and giddy inside. She knew it was childish, but she couldn't find a care in the world. It was kind of like how her mother used to tell her when she was little that spreading too much honey on a piece of bread wasn't the ideal meal, but once in a while, Kat was allowed to have it to enjoy its sweetness. It wasn't necessarily healthy, but it felt good, and that good feeling just couldn't be ignored. Her heart constricted for a moment at the thought of her mother, but she immediately pushed the memory aside. For now, that's how she felt now, taking pleasure in the mild torture she'd just inflicted on Chart.

Hearing a second set of footsteps, Kat stayed hidden in her place up the tree, tensed. She sighed with relief when she heard who it was.

"Hi Eona," said Chart.

"Hi Chart." They both sounded uncomfortable. And though Kat couldn't see Eona, she imagined she must've looked very perplexed. "Is that an egg?"

"Uh, yeah. I don't know where it came from. I'm serious. I was just walking by and I suddenly felt it drop on me." He paused. "I know eggs don't grow on trees, so this is really bizarre."

"Odd," Eona agreed. "I can get you something to wipe that off with, if you want."

"No, no, uh, no, I'm fine. I'll go get cleaned up myself," Chart responded, sounding embarrassed. He took off at a hasty pace.

For a long time Kat heard nothing, and she imagined Eona standing there looking dumbfounded, watching Chart run off. Kat nearly fell out of the tree when she then heard, "Kat, come on down."

Sliding her way off the branch, Kat lightly landed on one branch at a time on her way down, like a monkey, and finally eased her way to the ground, landing right in front of Eona. Who was scowling at her. Kat wanted to shrivel up.

"What?" she said. "It was a harmless joke. Besides, he deserved it." She crossed her arms defiantly. Then uncrossed them when Eona's scowl wouldn't budge.

"Kat, you don't have to do that for me," Eona said sternly. "Besides, eggs are good food. You don't want to just waste them." She glanced at Kat's basket. "Where did you get those anyway?"

"Well, eggs are good food, you're right. But, I found these on the ground. I don't know if they're good or not."

"Hmm." Eona picked one up and inspected it for a moment. "We should bring these to some of the farmers," she said. "They'll know what to do." There was a rumble of thunder above them. Eona looked to the sky, Kat following her gaze. She'd thought it started to look darker when she was still up in the tree. Overhead, dark gray clouds began to come in at a speedy rate.

Kat nodded. They set off back to their cabin together.

* * *

The slat of wood on the crate Kat used to cut up the fruit was flat enough, and the knife she used was sharp enough, though that worried Eona. She had no idea why Kat was attempting to cut up all the apples and peaches she'd found, but it must've been a very important reason. She watched Kat slowly and painstakingly hold the fruit with one hand and use all her might, practically the weight of her whole body, to slice through the fruit with the other. There was a little sweat building up on the back of her neck. Whether from exhaustion or fear of slicing her finger off, Eona couldn't tell. All she knew was that Kat was struggling with all the awkwardly shaped and cut up fruits that she'd been picking all day like her life depended on it.

Not able to watch anymore, Eona carefully walked over to her, so as not to startle her into cutting herself, and said, "Are you alright?"

Kat looked up and smiled, despite the fatigue all over her face. "Yeah," she panted, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "I'm just preparing a fruit bowl for you." She gestured at the small wooden bowl that already contained grapes, berries, and nuts. Kat frowned. "I'm not very good at cutting things. But I promise it'll be good."

"That's it? You're doing all this for me?"

Kat's face dropped for a second, but she quickly amended it and regained her smile. "Yes. It will be delicious!"

"Thank you," Eona murmured, sitting down on the other side of the crate, looking in the bowl. It did indeed look delicious. "You don't have to do that though. You look tired."

"Oh, it's no problem," Kat insisted.

"Where did you even get that knife? And don't say you just found it."

"It's…it's mine," she said.

"It's—it's _what_?"

"I've had it since I came here. It's only meant for self-defense. I'm not a strong person, and well, a bow and arrow are only really useful from a distance, not right in the face of danger."

Eona considered this for a moment. "Be sure to keep it hidden."

"What?"

"I trust you," Eona said, "but I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said most people here didn't. To them, you're still an outsider, harmless as you may seem. They have a very hard time trusting people. A very, very hard time." She turned away, noting that the last part of that sentence set her mind on a track of memories she'd rather not remember at the moment.

"Thank you," Kat said.

" 'Thank you'?" Eona repeated.

"For trusting me."

"You don't have to thank me. Trust is something I don't give out too easily. I have a hard time too. So if I trust someone, it's because they've earned it."

They sat for a moment in silence, Kat looking into Eona's eyes with something Eona couldn't quite figure out. It wasn't anything bad; but she couldn't put her finger on it. Interest? Curiosity?

"I like a girl who goes for what she wants," Kat said finally. Her voice was quiet but firm.

Eona opened her mouth to respond, but shut it. She didn't know how to respond. Was Kat talking about her?

As if reading her mind, Kat nodded. "You," she said, looking straight into Eona's eyes, "are really brave, Eona. I wish I could be."

But Eona thought Kat seemed brave now. Sometimes she would avert her gaze or stutter when she spoke. But right now she seemed sure and confident in what she was saying. Kat seemed to have a duel personality. One minute she was quiet and had not much to say. The next, she had very much to say and she said it with conviction. It hit Eona; Kat seemed that way when she was speaking about Eona. Again, Eona had no idea how to respond. She wasn't used to getting praise like this. What she was used to, was criticism and accusations. She was used to defending herself, or preparing for a fight.

"Thank you," she said, almost looking away. The room suddenly seemed much smaller and just the way Kat stared at her left her a little breathless. "But, I mostly did what I did out of desperation and necessity. I was terrified. Always terrified." _Always terrified. _She'd thought the same thing to Ryko when the resistance had started to pick up. Back when they were on the same side. Back when he was her friend.

"_You have the courage of a warrior."_

_I watched him turn away and gather the clothes from the ground. He thought me courageous? But I was terrified - always terrified.__  
__"No," I said flatly. "I don't."__  
__He paused from stuffing the invaluable robe between two bales. "Are you frightened now?"__  
__I nodded, shame flushing my skin.__  
__"Is it going to stop you?"__  
__"No."__  
__"That is the courage of a warrior."_

Eona bristled at the memory. Then in the midst of the war, he, along with Lady Dela and multiple others, turned his back on her. It was as though he'd never said those words at all.

"But that's what makes you so brave," Kat said. "You were terrified and you still did it. If something doesn't scare you, if you are unafraid and unaffected by it, then there is no bravery or courage needed. And, I'm sure Lady Eona, that you feel a little fear housing me here, as I know people are likely judging you for it."

Eona raised her eyebrows. She was right. People were indeed judging her; no one said anything out loud or outright, but she could tell from the looks on their faces as she passed by, or the occasional whispers. Lady Eona was, yet again, making a risky decision for all of them and potentially trusting an enemy.

They could all continue being judgmental for all she cared.

Eona took the knife from Kat. "I'll finish the rest of this. You've done a good job already. And please," she said, "just call me Eona."

* * *

Lying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling, Eona listened to the heavy rain beat against the roof for hours until it died down. She didn't remember whether she fell asleep or not. Now it was either a sprinkle or it stopped altogether. She imagined it was humid and muggy out now. She nearly jumped off of the bed when the door slid open and she looked up to see Kat bursting through. She hadn't even known Kat had gone out.

"Eona! Come quick, come quick!"

"_Kat_," Eona said, sitting up faster than her head agreed with. Dizzy for a moment, she held both hands on the sides of her head, rubbing her temples. "Where have you been?"

"There's something outside in the woods, near the cliff." She raced over to Eona excitedly and took her hand, pulling her up. "I was standing on it and I was being careful, but there was this big bright light and—you won't believe me unless you come see. Maybe it's still there!"

Eona was already running out the door, racing past Kat. Kat raced ahead of her into the woods, leading the way. By now it was already dark out and there were not many people out in the village. Everything was quiet save for their running footsteps against the soft muddy ground, still damp from the rain earlier in the day.

All had been dark until Eona spotted a faint orange light from somewhere amongst the trees. She couldn't tell exactly which direction it came from. It must've been very big, for it seemed to be everywhere they turned. If Eona didn't know better, she'd have thought it was morning already and that this was sunrise. The deeper they traveled through the woods, the brighter and more widespread it got. They kept going, Eona right on Kat's heels, until they'd emerged from the trees to a cliff where the light was all but blinding. Eona closed her eyes.

Emitting from the sky was a soft harmonious humming sound. It was unlike anything Kat had ever heard before, music sinking into her ears. Though it was high-pitched, it was calming and quiet. She closed her eyes with Eona and for an instant felt all her doubts dissolve into tranquility. There was a moment where literally everything in the world seemed okay; she had no problems. She had no worries. She had no fears. She wouldn't even say she was excited or particularly happy or cheerful. Just that she was content. Eona could feel the familiar taste of cinnamon on her tongue…

Suddenly her eyes flew open and a fiery blast of warmth exploded through the sky, along with a roar so loud, Eona could've sworn her eardrums popped. Kat squinted at the brightness but she didn't need to look twice to know what it was—the shape and outline of a celestial dragon filled the sky, its bright red and gold body glimmering. Its extended claws were huge, curled in, looking sharper than even the sharpest sword or knife Kat had ever seen. The golden scales—there must have been thousands—going down its neck, chest, and entire front seemed to move on their own, shimmering from the brightness. Its long tail and the spikes along its back were the same yellow-gold color. The giant curve of its snout came so close to Eona, it seemed to brush against her. Kat saw the wisp of her garment as the dragon gently touched its mouth to Eona's legs. The gold-laced pearl lay right beneath the dragon's neck, radiating and pulsing with energy. It was close enough to touch, but Kat dared not. Eona on the other hand cupped it gently in her hands, pressing them to the warmth of the pearl. And the eye, the eye of the dragon was large and red, its slit pupil staring right at them, possibly right through them. Kat could feel its presence penetrating through her like the echo of a gong or the waves of music.

This must have been the Mirror Dragon that Eona had told her about. There, right in front of Kat, was a real dragon, something she'd never thought she'd see—never thought existed until she met Eona. Something she'd only read about in books and heard from storytellers.

The light extinguished, and all was dark and quiet again.

Both girls stood there, deep shuddering breaths racking through their bodies. Kat was looking at Eona, mouth hanging open, speechless. As if waiting for some sort of order of what to do. Eona, just as speechless, kept staring at the sky, as if waiting for the dragon to come back. Eona felt different; stronger. More powerful. More confident. Kat could tell she felt all of these things, these things that she hadn't felt in ages. The wondrous feelings that she'd been longing for yet again. Eyes wide, both of them ran back through the woods the way they came, eager and anxious to see everyone else's reactions. They had to have seen it, or at the very least heard it. It had probably been loud enough for villages far away to hear, over the mountains. The dragon had looked as far away as the moon.

But when they arrived back at the village, it was still as dark and quiet with zero activity bustling about as it had been before. There was no possible way anyone slept through that, or just didn't notice. Eona and Kat were the only ones who could've seen it; the Mirror Dragon only meant for them to see it.

Eona glanced at Kat, and Kat knew she was thinking the same thing.

Her dragon power was back.

* * *

Kat curled up facing the wall, part of the blanket wrapped sparingly around her. She was giving Eona privacy while she changed and could see the faint outline of her shadow against the wall. Kat desperately wanted to take the entire blanket and pull it tightly around her; the night was cold and windy. She could hear the wind howling outside and it almost sounded ghostly. But she decided against it because Eona would be right beside her soon, and after everything Eona had done to both save her life, and make it as comfortable as possible, she wanted to give back somehow. Even in the smallest ways possible.

All went dark when Eona blew out the candle and fell in bed behind her, taking her end of the blanket and filling up the space. Kat relaxed, finally warm from her body heat. The only tiny bit of light in the room was from the moon outside, sneaking its way in. But it was so dull that all Kat could see with it was a slightly lighter color in the dark, her pale hand when she held it in front of her.

"We have to tell them about all of this."

By 'them', Kat knew Eona was talking about the village. The whole Celestial Empire, or what was left of it. The Emperor himself. Kat shuddered. "Your dragon power?"

"Yes. And, your powers as well." She'd made an effort to sound as calm about it as possible.

A surge of panic filled Kat. "Wh—why my powers?"

For a long time Eona didn't say anything, and Kat almost thought she didn't hear her. She was about to ask again when Eona responded, "They deserve to know. It is a mistake to keep these things secret from everyone. If they somehow find out, they will be none too happy, I'm afraid."

Kat wanted to disagree, but she knew she couldn't. "Do you think they'll be of any much use to us ever?"

"There's really no way of telling."

An overpowering sensation of dread filled up Kat. There was still something she needed to tell Eona. The reason it was completely irrelevant before was because there was no dragon power to speak of. Kat had never known real dragon power existed. But the things her people used to tell her…about what could happen given the presence of both her reviving power and dragon power combined. They'd burned curiously inside her for ages, and now was the only time to really discover if any of it was true.

"You cold?" Eona asked tiredly, breaking Kat from her dim thoughts.

"Yeah."

She felt Eona's arm slither under the cover and gently place it around Kat's shoulder. Kat could smell her recently-washed hair and her own scent. Everybody had their own scent, her mother had once told her. It was the weirdest thing Kat had ever heard, but it was true. And she liked the way Eona smelled. She not only felt significantly warmer now, but safer. She relaxed under Eona's embrace. "Is this okay?"

"Yes," Kat said. "Thank you."

Eona may have nodded or not heard or was too sleepy to respond. It was silent after that for the rest of the night. Somewhere along the hours, Kat consciously decided to return the gesture by sliding her arm under Eona's and resting it on Eona's body. She could feel Eona's tiny yet chiseled body move up and down as she breathed.

* * *

"Eona," Kat said the next morning. "There is something I need to tell you."

"More?"

"You'll understand why I didn't tell you before, and why I'm telling you now. Just listen to me." She spent the next couple of minutes explaining to Eona the power that came with combining her ability to resurrect life with dragon power. The ultimate gift—or sacrifice—it could bring. The kind of ability no living soul should be able to have right in their hand. It seemed too godly, too omnipotent. Too impossible. She reiterated that she did not know for sure this power even existed. Only that it had been spoken of and passed down from generation to generation in her region, but no one had seen it as far as she knew, and therefore there was no living proof of its existence. But there were so many scriptures and books and even artwork made about it. People continually insisted it could happen, if only an opportunity ever arose for it to happen.

And that opportunity might be now.

Her last sentence was, "The spirit must want it, or else it can't be done."

When she was finished, Kat realized she was looking at the ground rather than at Eona. She was afraid to look in her eyes, to see the judgment that she knew would be there. Either for not telling her sooner, potentially having this kind of ability in the first place, or both.

But when she looked up, Eona's face held no trace of judgment or anger or even fear. In fact, her face looked calm and resigned. Like she'd already accepted it. As if to confirm this, she gave a slight nod. "I'm glad you told me this."

Kat let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "You're not afraid of me?" Somehow the idea of someone fearing her was worse than someone being angry with her.

"No. It'll just be a lot for them to take in."

"It's a lot for _me_ to take in, and I've known this for a long time."

Eona nodded. "I know. I know just how that feels." And Kat knew she was telling the truth.


	5. Resurrection

**Author's Note: In here I mention Eona's brother, and I made up a name for him because I don't recall him being given a name in the book at all. Or even very much being said about him. But if he actually did have a name, feel free to correct me. For that matter, feel free to correct me about anything that's not correct, as this is a complicated world with a lot of stuff that happened and I don't remember all of the details from the books (especially since I was mostly blinded by rage when I read them anyway). But I've reread some passages and reviews and other postings about them, so, I think I know enough for this whole thing to work...**

* * *

**Chapter 5-Resurrection**

"I told you, I'll do all the talking, and you just do the healing on this bird when I tell you to," Eona said, slightly lifting the small bag in her hand. It held a bird Kat had shot and killed with an arrow yesterday. They were walking toward the center of the village now. She'd told Kygo earlier that morning that they had important news for everyone, and important matters to discuss. Kygo had folded his arms and raised his eyebrows in alarm, but said nothing. Perhaps he was just relieved to know that Eona was actually stepping up and speaking for a change rather than hiding it just to herself.

"Okay," Kat said slowly. What she didn't say was, _I'm just scared. No one here seems to trust me except you…and who could blame them? I was part of the group who tried attacking your village more than once. _She could tell from the faint hisses and stares, the way people looked at her with fear as though she were something deadly, that even with Lady Eona, she still could not be fully trusted. She was an outsider, a foreigner. She was different.

Eona must have sensed Kat's unease. "Hey," Eona said so quietly it was almost a whisper. "Don't be nervous."

But how could she not be nervous? The last time she'd been in Emperor Kygo's presence, he'd been staring at her—much like he was now, as a matter of fact—like a cockroach right before ordering a few men to capture her and put her behind bars.

By the time they reached the crowd, Kat was almost hyperventilating. There were so many people. So many. Eona touched Kat and gestured for her to do as Eona did. Everybody bowed into what Kat understood was called a kowtow, bowing so low to the ground that your head touched it. She'd read about it a few times in books, but had never actually seen it done. She cautiously watched Eona and mimicked her at a slow pace, kneeling carefully and bringing her hands and head down until she could no longer see anything but the ground. She wanted to peek at Eona but didn't dare. She could feel her body shaking and her heart beating erratically. The emperor said something, which she later figured was something like "You may rise", because when she heard movement and felt a hand on her shoulder, she realized it was over and Eona was telling her, through touch, to get up. Kat inhaled a deep breath.

The talking began, low but intense. Kat could tell Eona was explaining to Kygo about both the return of her dragon power and Kat's own power at healing dead things. She knew the first piece of information was revealed when she'd heard many startled gasps from the crowd, and even the emperor looked frightened. She'd obviously been asked to prove it when Kat saw her take her sword and lightly sweep it over her arm. A thin trail of blood started pouring out. Promptly Eona healed herself, in clear sight, and not one person could deny seeing it. This was still only the first part.

When the second part came around, the part concerning Kat, she had to plant her feet on the ground to keep from reeling back or running when dozens of pairs of eyes swiveled over in her direction. Most terrifying were the emperor's. Kat wished she could understand exactly what Eona was saying. She trusted her, but the more she went on, the more emperor Kygo took a step toward them. Each step he took seemed like a threat. He was about five feet away from them now, closer than Kat was comfortable with. Just when she thought he wasn't going to come any closer, he took another step towards them. She instinctively moved behind Eona, who was still explaining to the emperor about Kat's power. She wished this whole thing would be over.

Her heart beat in her stomach as she placed a hand over the bird, closed her eyes, and concentrated. She tried to block out everything, even Eona; Eona was normally always a comfort to her, but she knew if she thought of Eona she would undoubtedly think about everyone else. And the goal here was to block out everything except herself and the bird. She focused all of her energy, all of her will, on the bird—what did they call energy here? What did they call life force…Hua, was it? She kept pushing and pushing herself until she could sense that the bird was alive and ready to take flight.

There were several gasps and squeaks and comments from the crowd. It was probably the single most bizarre thing they'd ever seen. Which was saying a lot, considering she found the idea of dragon powers and being able to control the land completely otherworldly.

One person from the crowd started asking Eona questions. Eona answered them calmly and clearly. Kat didn't know how she did it. She imagined, even if it were all in her own language, her mouth would go dry in front of such a large crowd and she would stutter and stammer, not being able to get a word out.

Eventually Eona got to the last piece, the one Kat had revealed to her the night before. The one that heated up the crowd the most. She knew it would. She could tell based on Eona's tone and expression, attempting to keep the calmness, that she'd told them. The outrageous looks on some of the villagers' faces was a dead giveaway as well. Kat braced herself for a backlash.

There was a sudden back-and-forth spat between various members of the village that Kat couldn't quite catch all of. Her best guess was that some people were amazed by her power in a good way, and some were amazed in a bad way. Then there were probably those who weren't on either side, but were wary of her power, yet drawn and fascinated by it at the same time. They did not know what to think.

The voices got louder. People were asking—shouting—questions. She felt her throat closing in, like she was strangling, and her palms getting clammy. She looked to Eona—_just focus on Eona, and you'll be okay_—who discreetly put a hand on her back to comfort her or steady her, she didn't know which. She was grateful for the touch, but she wished people would stop yelling. She wanted to slap her hands over her ears and make it go away. She closed her eyes and took a deep, shuddery breath.

* * *

"That is incredible!" someone squeaked.

"Unbelievable!" someone else agreed.

"Extraordinary."

"It is…like nothing I've ever seen before."

Not a single face in the crowd looked unimpressed. They all stared at Kat like she was the strangest thing they had ever encountered. And perhaps she was.

"Lady Eona, please, may I speak?" said a quiet nervous woman.

"Certainly."

"Can this, can this work on people? As in, people who are dead?" There was a hush that went through the crowd. "Can this bring dead people back to life?"

This was exactly the subject Kat had discussed with her last night. "It might."

She'd expected to be met with shouts of protest or demands for explanation. So when she heard neither, and instead absolute suffocating silence, she gulped and went on. "There are claims in the west that combined with dragon power, a person with Kat's powers can bring someone back from the dead. Anyone. No matter who they are. No matter where they come from, and when or where they died. If our two powers are combined, we could potentially bring back anyone of our choosing."

Everyone was either awed and mesmerized, terrified, or in a daze. Everyone except one person.

"You _could_ do that. You _may_ be able to do that." Dela's voice was soft as velvet, but her piercing gaze looked threatening. No, not threatening, Eona realized. Desperate. "But _will_ you? Will you _try_?"

"No. That's not a good idea," Vida suddenly piped up. "What if it ends up destroying much of the village? And killing dozens upon dozens, if not all of us?"

Eona felt her mouth go dry and her hands get sweaty, but she made herself swallow and take a deep breath. Ready to calmly say that this wasn't her fault, she glanced up at Vida, only to see that Vida wasn't looking at her. She was looking at Dela. In fact, it seemed like her words themselves had been directed at Dela, not Eona.

Dela tensed, seeming to sense this as well. "We could travel further away from the village. Keep any activity or disruption it may cause away from here. There are many woods around here. It's more widespread than—than the village we were in before."

"I don't think the two of you ever realized that the world didn't revolve around you."

Eona could tell that pierced a dagger right through Dela's heart. She went so pale the blood seemed to have drained from her face entirely. If Vida noticed, it did not faze her.

"Vida," Tozay scolded, "Know your place and do not talk like that to Lady Dela!"

"With all due respect, Master Tozay, I think Vida has a fine point," said a tall man with a mustache that Eona had never seen before. No, he looked slightly familiar. He may have been a part of Master's Tozay's resistance movement. He may have been on the boat with them when they met up. "We really _don't _know what kind of consequences this will lead to. Sometimes it is best to leave things unknown. Just because we have the power to do something, doesn't mean we should do it."

"But how are we supposed to know otherwise what we can do?" another person said. "If we never take risks, how can we ever know the potential of what we have? Of what we can and cannot do? How are we supposed to _learn_? We cannot do that at a safe distance. Lady Eona, and every other Dragoneye before, has had to take risks and make sacrifices in order to learn of their powers. Surely we do not regret the knowledge gained from those kind of experiences, do we?"

Eona suppressed a shudder. She wanted to appear strong and confident in front of everyone, but the truth was that she was not proud of all of the ways to discovered her dragon powers. Many of them were learned the hard way, and at great costs. She learned many of them, inadvertently, at the expense of others. While what this man was saying was true, that did not always make it desirable.

"Should we really play around with things like life and death? Should we really try to take control of that? Should we tamper with things far greater than ourselves?" the first man demanded.

"What do you think, Mama Momo?" someone called.

Mama Momo looked thrown and off guard, as if she hadn't expected the attention to fall on her. Though the conversation had steered to the general idea of bringing someone back to life, it was now geared back to Ryko specifically. "I would love more than anything to have Ryko back," she said imploringly. "But I'm not even sure if _he_ would want that." She bit her lip. "He left the way he wanted to. With honor and dignity."

This brought the last important piece of information to light. "About that. There is also one other thing," Eona said.

"There's _more_?" Tozay asked exasperatedly.

"The person's spirit has to wish to come back for it to work. If not, then nothing will happen. If they do not desire to come back, it doesn't matter what we do or how much. It will not work." She let that sit on the silent crowd. The words she hadn't spoken had clearly reached them nonetheless and they were all thinking about it: There was a _choice_ in this. It wasn't like healing somebody, where you could heal them whether they wanted it or not. It also wasn't like being born, where you couldn't decide whether to be born or not. Someone else decided those things for you. Coming back to life was, ironically, a lot like dying. You could choose to do it, perhaps with some help.

"But what if other people wish to bring back their loved ones?" the same man finally said, who was just arguing that no one should mess with life and death. "Where do we draw the line? Everyone has, or will, lose someone in their life that they hold dearly. Are we to keep doing this until we are all essentially immortal?"

Eona was about to say that she didn't think that was the purpose at all when Kygo said, "Are there any other people here who wish to bring back a loved one?"

No one said a word, not even Dela or Momo. Though Eona could see in both of their eyes, especially Dela's, how badly they wanted it. She'd been looking at Dela's eyes since she'd spoken of how the spirit must have a desire to come back, in fact had looked right at her while saying it, as if only speaking to her and no one else. And that same desperation did not leave Dela's eyes. If anything, it may have made it stronger and sharper. For now, there was no need to worry about whether they were forcing Ryko into anything. She now saw not only desperation in Dela's eyes, but determination as well. She was not going to let this go that easily.

"Lady Dela," Kygo said, and Eona could almost see her flinch, "do you still wish to try this?"

Eona thought almost a full minute passed before Dela gave a slight nod of the head.

"Mama Momo?" Kygo said, shifting his eyes to her direction.

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

"Lady Eona," Kygo said with a little more tentativeness that only Eona could notice, "what do you propose?"

A heartbeat went by before Eona said, "Let's try it."

* * *

Eona, Kat, Kygo, Dela, Dela's father, Lillia, and Momo were the only ones allowed to attend the event. The event that no one knew would occur or not. Eona and Kat were obviously the only two who could do it, Emperor Kygo would overlook it, Momo and Dela were Ryko's relatives and loved ones, and Lillia was Eona's. Dela's father was not yet aware of how deeply in love with Ryko his daughter was, but he had been Dela's bodyguard, and the two were always known to be close in some way. Their connection had always been obvious to most people around them, even if it had never seemed romantic.

They decided to go to a large meadow with wide open field that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. The endless green expanse made them all feel small and reminded them of how tiny they were in such a huge world. It was very revealing and open, and anyone standing in it would be easily seen from anyone in the woods. Eona had no idea how much space they would need to try this, but she reckoned the more space they had, the safer.

Everyone except Kat and Eona stopped about ten feet into the meadow, not speaking a word. Eona and Kat kept walking and when they were about twenty feet away from everyone else, they turned and faced each other. They knew what to do without saying anything. They joined their hands together, forming a small circle between them, and closed their eyes. Eona reached for her dragon power while Kat summoned the power to contact a spirit and revive them. She may never have physically seen Ryko before, but all she had to do was think of him and call out his name in her mind. _Ryko, Ryko, Ryko…_later she would assume that Eona's memories had helped a great deal with this.

The wind picked up. What had been a still, sunny day turned into a dark, overcast afternoon, the clouds rolling in fast and the sun's rays disappearing. Trees rustled and swayed along. Leaves gathered up in the wind as it made its quiet breezy sound. Dela snuggled into her robe while her loose strands of hair went flying in her face. Her father wrapped an arm around her. Momo looked up at the sky anxiously, as if waiting for a storm to strike, though there'd been no thunder or flash of lightning yet. Kygo looked on with his arms folded and his eyebrows knotted in a wary line.

The connection that Eona felt with her dragon was far different from any other experience she'd had. This time she was not taken up into the sky to join with her dragon and become one. This time, she remained on the ground and could feel its power—_her _power, the dragon was a she—radiate through Eona. It radiated through her veins, her heart, her head. It was alive behind her closed eyes. She could see fantastic images of all the dragons flying around her, creating a vortex of different colors. She could spot the green Tiger dragon, Keeper of Courage. She could spot something bright blue—that must've been the Rat dragon. She could see all the swirling colors of the energy world. Finally when they'd all slowed and settled around her, she could see each and every one of them individually, and the one that stood out the most, the biggest one, was Eona. The Mirror Dragon. The only female dragon of destiny. The gold-laced pearl was there at its throat. The Circle of Twelve swirled around her in a chaos of colors and energy, but it was not nearly as chaotic as it'd always been. She wondered briefly if Kat had the most control of the energy that went into this. The thought sent a small chill through her—and she quickly pushed it away. The union was made. She'd met Eona, her dragon. And possibly the only true friend she'd ever had.

In a surreal way Eona was still aware of the physical world and felt a heavy presence nearby. Somehow though, she could tell it was not outside the circle. She could tell that while the others had noticed drastic changes in the weather, they were not aware of what was going on inside the circle. They were not aware of what Eona and Kat were feeling—and right now, she felt that presence that had been so far away, come closer and closer. The space between her and Kat was not very big, but in the spirit world, it was boundless. It defied all the laws of physics. The presence very close now, filling up the space, trapped between Eona and Kat's outstretched arms. Even without opening her eyes, she knew it was not yet visible. But it was fighting to become visible. It was fighting to become. It was as real as a solid being, like the weight of someone leaning against a closed door. Like that person was beginning to push against that door, harder, harder—

Kat's hand began to slip. Eona gripped her tighter, so much tighter, that she was afraid she might crush the poor girl's bony fingers. The wind willed Eona's eyes to open, but she fought against it, squeezing her eyes so they remained shut. She grinded her teeth and bit her lip. At this point, the winds were picking up at dangerous speeds. Eona could swear if she leaned forward even an inch, she'd be able to touch it—_her, him? _Whoever it was, they would not give up. They demanded entry through that door now; they went from simply pressing it to banging and pounding until the door would open up—

Kat and Eona's hands were ripped apart. Eona fell to the ground and her eyes flew open. What she saw in front of her was something that she would never be able to explain, no matter how vividly she remembered it.

Dela let out a loud gasp and covered her mouth with both hands. She could've sworn it was involuntary, as she had promised herself to remain quiet throughout the entire thing, to brace herself for nothing, but now, now she was starting to believe. She could hear her father and Momo beside her let out quiet gasps of their own. She even thought she might've heard Kygo gasp under his breath. Kgyo's hard, doubtful face started to drop as his mouth hung open and his eyes bulged in still and utter shock. No one looked at one another—all eyes were on the circle.

In front of Eona there was a blinding bright light, brighter than the celestial dragons, about as bright as the sun. It lit up everything around them, the grass, trees, and sky. Everybody shielded their eyes. When Eona dared look up, she saw that the light began to take shape, the shape of a person, tall, bigger than her, and eventually—

Eona's vision cut across the circle to Kat, Dela's father catching her as she collapsed to the ground. Running over to her, Eona bent down and put one arm around Kat's shoulders and the other under her legs. She was about to lift her up when Dela's father put a hand on her arm and said, "I'll take her back." He hoisted a now unconscious Kat up into his arms and hurried back through the forest.

When Eona looked back, her own world almost collapsed as well. In her stomach was a combination of shock that was strong enough to stop her heart mixed with miraculous wonder that sent her heart racing like it did when she connected with her dragon. Or when she healed somebody. Or when she compelled somebody. All of these strange powers and sensations that ran through her never failed to exhilarate her, blow her away, and terrify her all once.

There Ryko was, standing, breathing, lifting his hands and looking down at them as though they were something he'd never seen before. And there Dela and Momo were, crying and bawling, partly from emotion and partly from the shock of it all. They reached out and touched Ryko lightly as though he were frail and fragile. Like he might break apart or blow away any minute. He took them both in his arms and hugged them, first slowly and cautiously, as though this were a dream that would end any second, then more securely when it was collectively realized this was real. He was there. He was back. He'd wanted to come back.

The realization sent a jolt through her. He'd _wanted to come back. _Kat's words replayed in her head: _"The spirit must want it, or else it can't be done."_ Eona had thought it wouldn't work because she'd never done this before—but also because she didn't think Ryko would want to come back. Hadn't he died in an honorable way? Hadn't he made the choice to have her honor him and give his life for the resistance? For the empire? For them all?

But when she saw his embrace with Dela and Momo, she knew some things were more important than honor.

"You—you _did it_!" Kygo murmured, standing beside her. "You really, really did it. I didn't…" Eona knew from the start he didn't think it would happen. She hadn't thought it would happen either.

* * *

Everybody in the village stopped what they were doing and looked up. Lon and the rest of the villagers almost dropped their wheelbarrows. People who were eating stopped mid-bite. Even the children who were playing around looked on with shock as the emperor entered the village with the ladies following behind him and the man everyone had thought was dead.

Ryko.

Seeing a man who, by all logic, was supposed to have ceased to exist walking before their very eyes, sent people rushing over and up to him in a tornado of excitement, bewilderment, and questions. Many, many questions: "How did this happen?" "What?! This…I…" The person asking that question fainted and was assisted immediately. Everybody thought they had prepared for this, but no one had. No one thought it would really work.

Momo and Lillia pulled Eona off to the side as the crowd zoomed in on Ryko. Dela, though clearly wanting to be wherever Ryko was, stood off to the side too. Ryko looked terrified—Kygo asserted authority immediately and kept everybody at a fair distance with the help of some of the guards. Eona had never seen such a rabid crowd before. They weren't simply onlookers, they were hungry for information. She could hear a million questions at once, most of which concerned what it was like to die, and what the afterlife was like. And though the voices were faced away from her, for she was standing right outside of the circle that was impossible to penetrate as the mob gathered around Ryko and Kygo, she still felt like they were screaming in her ears. She could vaguely catch sight of Dela reaching her arm out to her. Her ears swam with a buzzing sound, and she stood on her tip toes, trying to catch sight of either Ryko or Kygo. She could actually see both of them among the crowd glancing over at her with concern. Why did they look concerned? They were the ones getting bombarded and practically drowning in the sea of people—

Eona's knees buckled and her whole world swayed; the ground came up to meet her, but she hit something else instead. Midway down she realized someone's arm had caught her around her waist, turned her gently, and slid behind her back, scooping her up into their arms. The last thing she felt before blacking out was her mother's chin against her forehead and the rush of air passing by her, the sounds of the crowd getting further away.

* * *

She was lying on her back, on top of soft blankets. The first thing she saw was the dimness of the ceiling. She heard low voices, one of them being right beside her. The other was a little further away but still in the same room.

"Eona," said the distant voice, a woman's voice.

"This must've taken so much energy out of both of them," said the closer voice, also a woman's.

Eona gripped the blanket with one hand and lifted her other in the air, trying to find something to grab hold of. She felt someone catch her hand. That same familiar smell that engulfed her when she was being carried to her cabin was there. Her mother.

When Eona turned her head to the right, she saw a second bed with Kat lying on it, sound asleep. There was less than a foot of space between their two beds. Beside Kat, Rilla was there looking at Eona with concern etched on her face. "Lon and Lady Dela's father helped me bring in another bed. I know it's small in here, but you ladies each deserve to have a comfortable bed to sleep in."

She heard footsteps, and it took every ounce of her screaming muscles to sit up. Both Rilla and Lillia placed an arm of support around both of her shoulders, and she knew she would've collapsed back down on the bed if they hadn't been there. It was a struggle just to keep her head up.

Dela, Ryko, and Kygo all crowded in the doorway, their mouths all hanging so far open it looked like their jaws would become unhinged any moment. Eona didn't know what had happened with the crowd. And it was still so much beyond her comprehension that Ryko was standing there in the flesh and blood. So much so that she leaned her head back down, Rilla and Lillia moving their arms out of the way, when she saw him start to move towards her.

"She needs rest," Kygo said. She imagined he'd put an arm out in front of Ryko. "They both do."

Dela said something then, but she was too far away to hear. Eona couldn't remember them leaving; she only remembered later awakening to her mother's voice. She was in the middle of a sentence, as though she'd been talking to Eona in her sleep. Maybe she was. Eona had wondered at times if talking to people while they were sleeping was really talking to them at all, and if they could hear you. Her mother was talking in a soft enough voice that Eona could hear her but Kat was still asleep.

"You loved him so much," her mother was saying. "Sometimes I would bring both of you to the beach with me. Though admittedly, he was a little more scared than you were." She paused. "You'd never have known with what a soldier he grew up to be." A certain word stuck out to her. A _soldier_ he grew up to be. She was talking about her brother.

"You and Ai had such good times together at the beach."

_Ai._ The name struck a chord in Eona. She remembered playing on the sand with someone named Ai. They'd chased each other around, made drawings in the sand, and walked along the edge of the beach, their toes feeling the cool water splash on them. She could remember holding his hand and she only went up to his waist. She could not place a face with the memory though. What did he look like? Did he have her and her mother's features? Did he smile a lot? What was his voice like? Was it deep or quiet or loud or rough or smooth? Was he taller than them? A slight built or more muscular?

There were many questions that Eona did not have the answer to. She supposed later she could ask her mother what her brother looked like and what he _was_ like. But for now, she could hear the tired and resigned intake of breath from her mother after that last sentence: _"You and Ai had such good times together at the beach."_ Though neither of them said it, they both knew what happened next. Eona was sent away to a salt farm and Ai went to war. And died. She felt a lump rise up in her throat. She'd wanted to remember for so long, and now she was afraid to. She'd never get to see him again. And he'd never know what became of her.

* * *

Kat awoke to the steady sound of rain beating against the roof to their cabin. It was quiet and completely dark. The last she remembered was being ripped apart from Eona's grip in the meadow when they were reviving Ryko. Now she noticed that there was another bed in here on which she could almost make out the faint outline of Eona's figure on the bed. It was so dark though that she would've wondered if Eona was really there if she hadn't heard her breathe in. She was asleep. They must've both fainted.

_Fainted,_ she thought. It almost sounded empty, meaningless. Trivial. She hadn't felt like she'd _fainted._ Certainly fainting was not a pleasant thing, but she'd fainted once before. This felt worse; as though she'd been dying. She nearly thought she had.


	6. Old Wounds

**Chapter 6—Old Wounds**

Kat watched, in awe, the graceful and agile ways Eona moved as she practiced with her swords out in the large field, silent and vacant. Void of any animals or people—save Kat, who stood amongst the tall grass and weeds and bushes near the edge of the forest. It opened up into the wide green meadow that they'd brought Ryko back in. It was odd to think that just two months ago, they were doing something so dangerous here, toying around with life and death. It looked so safe and peaceful now. There was also a gazebo somewhere in the distance, though from where she stood, Kat couldn't tell how big or fancy or remarkable it may have been. There were patches of bright colorful flowers that surrounded it, standing out like little rainbows against the dry green and brown. She didn't care too much for the flowers, nor did she care too much for the itchy prickly feeling the grass gave her, but the view from where she was at was perfect. She admired every step, movement, and swing Eona did, never seeming to miss a beat. Those swords were like extended parts of arms, a part of her. As though they were her friends. As though they belonged together.

As she delved deeper into her enjoyment and fantasy, Kat had not realized how much closer Eona was getting. She had been looking for Eona all day, as Eona had left before she'd awoken and hadn't said much the night before. She'd set out searching for her late in the morning, and only had arrived a few minutes ago, finding her as a faraway figure amongst the tall grass that seemed to stop no lower than her ankles at some parts, and at others high enough to reach her thighs. The noonday sun made everything uncomfortably bright, but she could imagine how pretty it all might've looked around sunset or sunrise, bathed in an orangish glow. And Eona's black silhouette against it would stand out even more.

She probably had been here since sunrise, now that Kat was close enough to see how tense Eona's muscles looked and how much she was actually sweating. She gasped and jumped back, just as she heard the swooshing sound of one of the swords coming down—

"Kat! _Kat!_" Eona yelled, separating the grass and appearing right before a startled Kat, who was just getting up from the ground. "_What_ are you doing?"

"I was just…I was just admiring your ability." It sounded better than _I was just watching you._

The flattery did nothing. Eona set her mouth in a firm line. "I didn't know you were here. I didn't think anyone really knew about this place. I didn't see you or hear you—and you could've been injured or killed."

Kat's eyes fell to the ground. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have spied on you like that."

"No, I—it's alright," Eona sighed. "That was just close, that's all. You were very quiet. And…I wouldn't want to do anything to you." There seemed to be more words left unsaid, left hanging in the air. _It's not like I haven't done things—hurtful things—to people before._ And there was that same guilt-ridden look on Eona's face, the same one Kat wanted to both hug and slap. She wanted to take Eona by the shoulders and shake her. _You didn't hurt anybody!_ she wanted to cry. _You didn't do anything wrong!_

Instead she just gave a single nod and said, "I'm sorry," again and turned to leave Eona to her personal space.

* * *

He'd taken up quarters in Kygo's cabin, along with Lady Dela, Mama Momo, and Lady Dela's father. The empty cabins that had been Dela's and Momo's were now more available space for the villagers with far too many people in their own cabins. It was remarkable, albeit crowded, to have suddenly risen to such importance to the emperor that one was already living with him and sharing the same chamber. He wondered briefly why Eona wasn't there, but soon realized it was Kat she was to guard, while Kygo guarded him. The girl, Kat, was significantly taller than Eona, yet slightly younger and clearly more awkward. She seemed to follow Eona around like a puppy. During his days, his mind would sometimes wander, sometimes sudden flashbacks jolting through him of blood and death and destruction. But mostly he would think long and deep about what exactly had happened after he'd died. He remembered him giving Eona his will, he remembered his life force snapping in half—but nothing more. He knew there _was _something more, but he could not recall it at the present time. Perhaps there were some things man wasn't meant to know about. He could not, for the very life he'd just gained back, remember a single thing about the garden of the gods. So even if he'd wanted to answer all of the probing and personal questions of the villagers about life after death—that mercifully Emperor Kygo and the guards protected him from by immediately shutting down anyone who even started to walk towards Ryko the few times he was outside these days—he wouldn't know how to answer. All he knew was that when he thought about it, he got a slight feeling of hope inside him.

Ryko gazed out across the plains that made up the village to Eona, who was sitting on a boulder outside her cabin, gazing back at him. Her cabin was right at the edge of the woods that went slightly up to a hill. Somewhere beyond was the meadow he'd first seen when they brought him back. He had no idea what she was thinking. She'd always been unreadable and it had always been disconcerting. Not knowing what she was up to often made her very good at hiding things and keeping secrets. All he knew was that it had been two months, and they still hadn't spoken a word.

"She's barely spoken to anyone since the war," said Lady Dela, appearing beside him. He hadn't heard her approaching. She was as quiet as a mouse. "She also flinches if someone comes within a centimeter of her. Like she thinks someone's going to reach out and attack her. I think we have Yuso to thank for that," she said bitterly. "I don't know what kind of toll it all took on her, especially losing her power and now gaining it back. She must be very lonely though. I don't think she really trusts anyone."

"After all we've been through?" Ryko said disbelievingly.

"_Because_ of what we've been through," Dela insisted. "It's not as though you were warm and inviting to her after she saved your life."

"Those were entirely different circumstances and you know that. It isn't really fair to have expected me to trust her after that."

"It wasn't very fair of me to force her to do it," Dela responded in a guilty tone. "I wanted her to heal you, so if you want to admonish someone for the compulsion even existing in the first place, you put that on ME."

"Dela," Ryko said, "You couldn't have known that was going to happen." He sighed, knowing he had to admit this next part. "And I know Lady Eona didn't either, but she became so obsessed with power."

"The power ate her alive. It must start off feeling incredible and amazing, if I'm honest. To be able to heal the ones you love. To be able to make the ones you hate do your bidding." Her mouth twisted at the thought, and Ryko could tell they were both thinking of Ido. As terrible as compulsion was, Ido was an equally terrible man who'd needed to be tamed.

"And now she trusts no one," Ryko concluded. "We're right back where we started."

"Actually, she does trust one person: that Kat girl. Eona is the only person she seems to talk to. Granted, Eona is really the only person she _can_ talk to, as she knows her language. But they seem to have a very close bond."

Ryko glanced back up to where Eona was sitting and now saw that her attention was elsewhere. Kat, the slim, fair-skinned, orange-haired girl was eagerly pulling her up and leading her somewhere by hand. Ryko had a sudden urge to follow. "Can we trust her?" he said. He held a hand out before Dela could say what he knew she was going to say. "I know she has powers of great magnitude…which could be a good and bad thing. We saw what that did to Lady Eona. And who's to say it won't happen again, now that it's returned? We ought keep a close eye on her."

"You know, I had told her it was her fault you were dying. And she believed me. She a_greed _with me. She didn't even try to fight me on that, Ryko."

Ryko's mouth set in a grim line.

"I also told her, quite recently, that she was the reason you'd died."

"Dela, how could you _say_ that? You saw what happened. You heard me say it was my choice."

"I know. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking at all. I was being so selfish and unfair, both to you, and to her." She looked over wistfully at the now vacant rock in front of Eona's cabin. "I have faith, faith that this won't be so bad this time around."

"I wish I could agree."

She glanced up at Ryko. "Can we at least ensure that one thing does go right this time around?"

"And what would that be, Lady Dela?" he asked softly.

"Dela. You can refer to me as Dela." She stepped toward him, gazing straight up into his hardened eyes. She carefully took one of his hands into hers and he did not resist. "Let's talk about us."

* * *

Kat watched from inside the cabin, the sliding door slightly cracked open, as Eona sat on the rocks they used for seats, staring out across the village at…she followed Eona's gaze and found Dela and Ryko in the distance. Her eyes burned. Why was Eona agonizing over them? She'd risked her life—more than once—just so they could be together. And they repaid her, every single time, with a total lack of gratitude. Suddenly overcome with a certain urge to protect, and a desire to be heard that hadn't been there this morning, Kat sauntered outside over to Eona, who noticed her and glanced up before Kat said anything.

"Hello Kat."

"Hello Eona. I, I'm sorry about this morning."

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. You can go wherever you want."

"Speaking of going places…" Kat glanced over at Dela and Ryko, putting on as serious of a glare as possible. She didn't know if either of them saw it. "Let's go somewhere together." She reached out and grabbed Eona's hand, her heart beating rapidly, and pulled her up. Eona's eyes widened with curiosity, but she did not stop her. Kat led her toward the woods, deliberately in the opposite direction of Dela, Ryko, and the village. Now Eona would have to turn away and take her eyes off them. Take her eyes off the past and the pain. Stop torturing herself.

"Where are we going?" Eona asked.

"We're going to have some girl time," Kat said. "Some camaraderie." She remembered how much Eona thought about camaraderie in the bathhouse with Vida during the war. How she thought she'd been getting some quality time with a fellow girl, but in fact, it had all been a set-up. At set-up orchestrated by Lady Dela. Kat shuddered, chasing the thoughts away, both of what Eona had been through and the fact that she knew so much about her memories and _thoughts. _"We're going to have some quality friendship time that you deserve and…" she trailed off, glancing at Eona's astonished expression and said, "I know I might not be the greatest friend ever, but—"

Relief ran through her when she saw the corner of Eona's mouth twitch up. "You're the greatest one I've ever known. Where to?"

Kat started to lead the way when she realized she didn't have a clue as to which way she was going. "Um," she stammered, "you don't happen to know of any good relaxing areas around here, do you?"

To her relief again, instead of rolling her eyes, Eona smiled. "Sure. As a matter of fact, I know the perfect place. Better, and more private, than the meadow. Come on." Kat let Eona lead the way now and she couldn't help but be glad that it was a 'private' place.

The woods sloped upwards, normally making the trek a little more tiring, but Kat barely felt tired right now. Her anticipation built up more and more as they got closer to their destination, leaving the busy village behind and entering the quiet world. It exploded as they'd walked through the hanging vines well off the path. "Wow," Kat breathed, looking far towards the lake and waterfall and trees with wide eyes. The colors were vibrant enough to come from a painting, and scents of grass and water that usually tickled her nose or made her sneeze felt fresh and revitalizing. She could practically taste everything. It was pure paradise. One would never know all of the destruction—natural or manmade—that went on in the outside world just from looking at this place. It was its own separate entity, its own universe. Kat would stay here forever if she could. _Maybe we _can _stay here forever_, she thought.

Her hand was still in Eona's, and she felt Eona give her a slight squeeze. "This is where I go sometimes when I want to be alone. This is my secret place."

"It's beautiful." They took a couple steps forward, hand in hand. All Kat could hear was the soft sound of the waterfall as they approached it. Maybe it was the waterfall, or maybe it was how soft the ground was, but Kat couldn't hear her own footsteps. It was like walking on a cloud.

"Do you want to go in?"

Startled out of her mesmerized reverie, Kat turned her head towards Eona. "Is…is it safe?" She felt embarrassed right afterwards. Of course it was safe.

Eona gave her hand another reassuring squeeze that sent electrical jolts up Kat's arms and into her chest. "It's safe." Eona sat down on the grass and started to pull off her boots. Kat did the same but kept her distance. She didn't know if Eona would want her to sit down next to her or not. She glanced over at the clean water. It did look mighty inviting.

Eona took off her clothes and undid her hair; Kat did the same. When she entered the water, it felt cool and soothing against her skin on this hot day. It was strange how the weather patterns kept going back and forth between cold and warm. She closed her eyes and dipped her head in the water, feeling it cleanse her every pore. When she came back up, she saw that Eona was about three feet away from her, looking off into the distance. For a moment she seemed to have a melancholy look on her face but Kat realized she was just zoned out, calmly gazing at nothing, possibly thinking about anything. Her face was at an angle, showing off the profile of her defined cheekbones and arched eyebrows, like the perfect portrait. She wasn't frowning or smiling; simply being. She was floating around in an area surrounded by bright green leaves, and Kat could still see the waviness of Eona's hair where her bun had unraveled. She could see the tips of her fingers gently touching the bottom tips of her hair that glided along the water across her chest. And the curve of Eona's slight shoulders—

"Kat?" It sounded like Eona said it for the third time now, but she didn't sound annoyed.

"Oh. Yeah?"

"How do you like it?"

"It's wonderful. I love it." She found herself more and more comfortable as the minutes passed. It was as if she belonged here now every bit as much as the water, rocks, plants…and Eona. Initially she'd been afraid she would be really uncomfortable and self-conscious—she'd never been naked in front of anyone before, except her parents when she was a baby she reckoned—but she was as content as ever. She didn't feel alone like she had most of her life taking baths by her lonesome.

"Is your neck sore?" Eona asked.

Kat just now realized she'd been rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly for the past few minutes. She'd been doing that for the past few days, actually. "My shoulder blades. I might've slept in a funny position," she added sheepishly. _Or I just have atrocious posture_, she didn't add.

"Would you like me to massage them for you?" Eona offered.

Kat's face flushed despite the cool water and she nodded. Excitement raced from her heart down to her fingertips. She didn't know why. It was just a massage. But she seemed to not feel rational about most things these days.

She turned around and pulled her wet hair to the side, glad Eona couldn't see her reddening face. She felt Eona's hands, cool and moist from the water, touch her shoulder blades. They pressed and rubbed, working their way around and down her spine. The movement gradually reduced the tightness in her muscles. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this luxury she'd never gotten to have before. _So this is what a massage feels like_, she thought with delight. "You're good."

"Thank you," Eona said. "To be honest, I've never actually done this before."

"It would've fooled me," Kat said with a smile. Her whole body started to feel warm and relaxed again.

"Kat," Eona said.

"Yes?"

"Could you…tell me a little about yourself? Like maybe where you come from and everything? I'm only curious," she said, giving Kat's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

"Oh! Yes, well. Well, of course." The question had taken her off guard, but she didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before. Eona had poured out her own life story to Kat—and Kat had become aware of many of the details on her own. She closed her eyes in shame. It was only fair she share some of hers with Eona. But, she realized, she wanted Eona to know anyway. In that moment, she had a sudden urge to tell Eona absolutely everything about herself.

Kat started with her age, despite it being close to Eona's. She was actually two years younger—Kat was fifteen, Eona seventeen. Then she told Eona about her parents. Every night before tucking her and her older brother into bed, her parents would tell them stories of all kinds. Heroes that fought demons and monsters, people falling in love, detailed mythology and folklore. Sometimes Kat's mother would change things a little from the original story and make it so that the woman saved the man. To which point Kat would add her own twist and make the story about the child saving the parent. _"If something ever happened to either of you,"_ she'd said, _"I would do anything I could to save you."_ Unfortunately, reality wasn't her vision of bravely and effortlessly saving her parents from a giant or a sea creature or something else from the deep unknown. Reality was her parents falling ill of a mysterious plague and eventually dying. They'd been quarantined long before that though, and Kat and her brother lived with one of the towns' scholars, who had not been fond of them from the moment they were entered into her home. Years later, her brother had been exiled from town.

"My brother. He's—well, he's different." She paused. "He's a boy. Well, by now he's a man. But he's always been a male, and yet, he has a female's body."

She felt Eona's massage slow down and Kat turned to look at her. "A contraire," Eona said quietly. "Is your brother a contraire?"

"I—what's a contraire?"

"In our culture, it's what someone is called when they are spiritually one way, but physically another. Double spirits. Lady Dela is one."

Kat's eyes widened. "Lady Dela—you mean—she's a man?"

"You didn't know this from my memories?"

Kat flinched. "I guess I forgot. She doesn't look like a man."

"Physically," Eona said, "but spiritually, she is a woman."

"I never would have guessed," Kat said.

Eona smiled. "She would be pleased to hear that."

"You would never guess my brother for a girl or woman either," Kat said. "He's about four years older than me. My parents and I always knew the truth, but we kept it secret from everyone. He was expected to go out, dressing, speaking, and acting as a lady. He wasn't even allowed to try on men's clothes inside, because it was too risky to have someone see him. My parents would chastise him every time he tried. It killed him, I could tell. But the way things were in my village was—that you either left or were killed if you were found out to be a contraire." She could hear the sadness in her own voice. She'd never gotten a chance to say goodbye to her brother. They'd been playing in the backyard one day, and he'd gone off to get some firewood. The last thing he'd said to her was, _"Let's make sure the fire is really warm tonight so we won't freeze."_ Hours later when he still hadn't returned, someone came and informed her guardian what they had discovered, and that he was asked—told—to leave. You were telling someone to leave when you gave them no other choice than death. Kat never found out how they discovered. All she knew was that nobody was sympathetic to her at all for it.

"That's terrible." Kat knew Eona was frowning. She'd also stopped rubbing Kat's back. Suddenly she felt Eona's close presence right behind her ear and Eona slowly and tentatively put both arms around her from behind. Kat leaned her head back on Eona's shoulder, slightly turning to see her, and their faces came less than an inch from each other.

A sharp _crack!_ sounded and Eona and Kat ripped apart as a branch came falling down into the water, creating a little splash. Their eyes met and Eona put a hand on Kat's shoulder. "Kat," she said. Kat could tell she was trying really hard to help come up with a solution, but even Eona, strong and clever and bold, looked defeated. "Maybe he's still out there."

"Maybe," Kat said, "but I won't believe it until I see it. And I have no idea where to look. That was a couple years ago. I just—don't want to dwell on it. I suppose miracles could happen, but I learned to stop believing in those a long time ago." She let her unease sit in the air between them for a moment. "You know, I never would've taken you as a boy, either. Even though I'm sure you were really good at pretending to be one. I don't know how anyone else fell for it. You're too pretty."

Now it was Eona's turn to blush. "Thank you. Oh," she said, punching the water and looking frustrated. "I forgot to bring some towels. There are towels back at the cabin."

"I'll get them," Kat said, climbing out of the lake and putting her clothes on.

She didn't mind that they were wet. She was facing away from Eona, but when she finished she heard behind her, "I wish I had really long legs like you." Kat spun around and saw that Eona was completely serious. "It would be a lot easier."

Kat laughed. "I don't know, I think sometimes being shorter would make things easier for me."

"Say that when you have to mount a horse."

Kat was grinning all the way back to the cabin, retracing their steps easily through the woods back to the village. She slowly slid the door open and peeked in as if she were expecting someone to be in there. She couldn't help getting the distinct feeling that she was being watched. When she entered their cabin, she closed the door quickly and got the towels. She also decided to gather some of their leftover bread and fruits from earlier that day and put them in her basket. She was just starting to relax again and even smiled at her own silliness when she heard the door sliding open behind her. She turned and was about to greet Eona when she came face-to-face with Dela and Ryko.

They gaped at her, as if not expecting to find her here, or here alone, and she clutched the towels to her chest, looking at the two of them warily. Dela said something, but Kat didn't know what. She could tell Dela then trying to use hand motions to signal what she meant, but it still made no sense. Kat supposed they might be asking where Eona was, since this was Eona's cabin. But she wasn't going to tell. She would continue to play dumb and just stare at them untrustingly until they gave up.

Ryko turned and said something to Dela, shaking his head. Probably something along the lines of, "She doesn't get it. Let's wait until we find Eona." Dela sighed and nodded in agreement at whatever he'd really said. She glanced back at Kat. Both were looking at her like an animal, like something they didn't want to scare. Like a deer that you spoke to softly and didn't come too close to when you saw it at the edge of the woods, for fear of scaring it away. Dela said one final thing before turning with Ryko and walking out, sliding the door shut behind her.

Releasing a huge breath that Kat didn't realize she'd been holding, she felt her heart slow down to a normal rate and waited in the cabin for a couple minutes, just for good measure. She slid the door open a crack and looked out, making sure no one was there. When all was clear, she raced toward the woods with her towels and basket.

When she arrived back, she handed Eona one of the towels. Eona stepped out of the lake and wrapped the towel around her body. Kat dropped the other towel on the ground and started rummaging around in the basket to check again that she had everything. She stole a glance at Eona and noticed that when Eona bent down to retrieve her clothes, her towel dropped slightly so that it was just around her hips. Kat forced her eyes away in case Eona should look up and see her watching. In a faster time than Kat did, Eona was all dressed, in her simple tunic and trousers, still barefoot. She gathered up her boots and walked over to wear Kat had sat up the towel by now and taken out the food. They ate for a while in peaceful silence, enjoying and savoring each bite. And each moment together sitting in this utopian-like place.

When they were done, Eona whispered, "Hey. Look what I found." Pulling back a curtain of vines, Eona showed Kat a small space surrounded by bushes and shrubbery on all sides, and so dark it could've been mistaken for nighttime in there. Not a single ray of sunlight reached in. But there were little sparks of light flying around inside.

"Fireflies!" Kat squealed. She remembered when she was a child, she used to catch a couple in a jar and let them fly around in it for only a little while before releasing them again. In the small windowless room she was kept in, with no lights, it had been impossible to see anything. Those fireflies had been her only temporary offering of light.

"They're gorgeous aren't they?" Eona asked, smiling at Kat's enthusiasm.

"Yeah." They sat and watched for the next couple of minutes, Kat's excitement never waning. She imagined what life would be like if she were a firefly—would it be carelessly free and exhilarating? Or would it be even more terrifying than being human? To be so small could lead to advantages, but it could also make one vulnerable. Suppose she got entrapped in one of those jars people used to catch bugs? She was beginning to feel a little guilty for having done it herself when she was little.

When Eona and her decided to leave, Eona's foot got caught on a large root protruding from the ground. Kat bent to help her but Eona held a hand out. She pulled her foot and tugged a couple times, gripping the root, until finally she yanked it right out of the ground. Kat jumped back. Dirt fell from the disembodied root. Eona and Kat both looked at it, then at each other, and started to laugh.

* * *

In only a couple days' time, Kygo had suddenly called up a meeting between him, Eona, Lady Dela, Ryko, and several others. They were to discuss basic procedures and protocols to take should another disaster strike, and then Kgyo would announce their plans to the general public. The morning before Eona was to make her way over to the emperor's quarters for news and negotiations, she sat back on her bed, all dressed and hair up, and then decided to hell with it—she would lie down just to rest for a moment. It might mess up her braided bun a little, but she didn't care.

The back of her hand lay on her forehead as she gazed up at the ceiling. What had Kat said when she took her hand and led her through the forest? _"We're going to have some girl time." _When was the last time Eona had had any genuine girl time with anybody? Probably the last and only time she'd had any in her life was when she was a small child, her mother with her arm wrapped around her, carving characters of Women's Script into the sand. Not with Vida, not with Lady Dela…she supposed whenever she was assisted with baths, by Rilla or other women, it was quite nice and peaceful. She also knew she'd had a strong connection and alliance with Dolana, the woman from the salt farm she'd known for a short period of her life, but neither of them were in a happy place like Eona and Kat had been in the lake. Eona and Dolana had been through suffering and fear, and it was all they could do to try to hold each other up.

"Eona, aren't you supposed to be meeting the emperor?"

Kat's soft but sudden voice startled her. Eona sat bolt upright.

"Sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No," she said, gazing past her toward the door. "You're right. I should be heading there right now. I am sure it won't take long. And though I might be forbidden to discuss political matters with anyone outside of the circle, I will share them with you. Whether Kygo likes it or not."

"Kygo…" The name seemed awkward as it rolled off Kat's tongue, as though she were scared to refer to him as anything but Emperor. Eona stood up, walked over to the sliding doors, and looked back at Kat.

"Try not to become impatient. I will get back to you as soon as I can." Then she slid the door open and walked out. She did not slide the door back in place.

Kat slowly walked over to the door when Eona was well on her way, watching her grow smaller in the distance.

* * *

They began by bowing to emperor Kygo. Eona had walked in a little late but bowed nonetheless. No one glanced up at her obvious entrance.

"You may rise."

All rose.

"The first item of business is just to remind you all that it is important to be _punctual_," Kygo said, and Eona could practically hear the scraping of his teeth against each other. A couple of others glanced back at her, but Kygo was the only one who had a razor-sharp glare. "But what I really wanted to discuss was something that has long been unaddressed." He turned to Eona. "The return of Eona's Dragoneye power."

There was a silence as everyone took this in.

"I think it is imperative that should any of us even suspect an oncoming disaster, of any sort, you are to address both me and Lady Eona about this at once. And though as the Ascendent Dragoneye she still may not have as much knowledge about her powers as Dragoneyes past, she is still my Naiso for a reason."

Eona could see out of her peripheral vision someone shaking their head fiercely. "You Majesty," Ryko said, "she is not capable of such duty. She has proven this time and time again, and right now, given what we've all been through, she cannot hold up under the weight of the pressure." She slowly lifted and turned her head, narrowing her eyes. He was looking straight into her eyes as he spoke. "She's still very inexperienced and quite young and…she was never quite right for this." Those last words hit her like a tsunami: _never quite right for this. _Eona could hear the words ringing in her head and was brought back to a similar time when Ryko had acted out and spoken against her before, when Kygo first announced her as his Naiso. Ryko had been even more aggressive back then, jumping up and denouncing her as a liar in front of everyone, for the fact that she was a woman. After she'd saved his life. After she'd thought they'd come to an understanding.

That hadn't taken long at all. _Here we go again, _she thought. _Round 2._

"Ryko, if you're talking about how she kept all of Kinra's and the folio's secrets from us, or hiding her gender, or anything else significantly in the past now—"

"I am not, your Majesty. I'm talking about how she is still refusing to open up to anyone right now. She is extremely shut off from all of us. And who knows what she tells that Kat girl. Who knows what secrets they may divulge with each other and not tell anyone else? Lady Eona has a big history of keeping things to herself."

"In that case, I think you may be right."

Eona un-narrowed her eyes and relaxed her face as Kygo turned to address her. It was something of a skill she'd mastered for most of her life, and even more than ever throughout the war. Training herself to control her entire face, to look neutral and nonchalant.

"This may be true, Lady Eona. But I don't know—none of us do. Because he's right, you are good and always have been at keeping things from us. And I'm not sure I trust that young girl either."

"Kat," Eona said.

Kygo raised his eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"Her name is Kat. You can at least say her name."

"You seem emotionally unstable, Lady Eona."

"Emotionally unstable." She nodded. "Said the man who massacred countless innocent men when he found out his mother and brother had been killed."

There were several gasps. "_Eona!_" Dela said.

Kygo held up a hand. "That's alright, my Lady." He'd mastered self-control just as much if not more than Eona. "If I remember correctly, Lady Eona, you yourself killed thirty-six people."

"Yes. I was persuaded to heal Ryko, all at the expense of that village. Evidently, it was entirely my fault that he was dying. Is that right, Dela?" She turned to Dela. "Is that right, or is that wrong?" Dela's eyes were squinted in thinly-veiled resentment. She said nothing, so Eona returned back to Kygo and continued, "It was an accident. With all due respect, Your Majesty, you cannot possibly compare my well-intentioned deed that regrettably had unintentional consequences, to your inability to control your rage, thus driving you to chop peoples' heads off at will." She was not used to speaking so forwardly, especially at Kygo. But she could get used to it, and so would he.

"You've gained quite the attitude since the end of the war," Ryko said dryly. Eona looked at him and raised her eyebrows, daring him to go on. "I know you've been through a lot, but so have the rest of us."

"You always hated it when I lied, didn't you Ryko? You always preferred that I tell the truth, yes?"

Ryko gave a stiff nod. "That is correct."

"Well, you're right. It is always better to tell the truth." She glanced around at all three of them. "It is better for everyone." _And it feels better too. _Eona could swear she felt less tension in her bones since she'd been relieved of the terrible web of lies she'd been trapped in for so long. "And the truth is, you must've fallen from a fifty-foot tree and hit every branch on the way down when you were a baby. Nothing else can explain your immense stupidity."

"E_o_na!" Dela shrieked in outrage.

"You see what I mean?" Ryko demanded. "She does not know how to control anything. She cannot even hold her tongue when in the presence of royalty—"

"And you cannot directly address someone who is standing right in front of you," Eona snapped.

Ryko ignored her. "She is a lying, manipulative, irresponsible, self-absorbed—"

"My Lady, would you please not bait him?"

Eona looked directly at Ryko, and she could see the fear in his eyes of what he anticipated.

When she first discovered compulsion, Eona had no way of controlling it. It was like a beast refusing to be tamed, refusing to stay in its cage, acting all on its own. But now after all this time, she'd finally gotten a handle on it. _Now I have more control over it than ever. I can start it and stop it at my will, as easily as blinking. I can do it when I want to, rather than when I don't want to. I've never been able to do that before. It's just another one of those things that takes time and practice, like most risky powers. This is why Dragoneye apprentices generally got twelve years of training instead of zero._

Ryko widened his eyes and clenched his teeth, which Eona could see because he curled his lips back in an angry snarl. Dela glanced back and forth between them and immediately understood what just took place. She hardened her jaw line and marched right up to Eona's face. "Why did you bring him back?" she demanded. "Why did you bring him back, if you were only going to torture him?"

"Torture? What torture?" Eona sauntered over to Ryko. She had her hands folded behind her back, very business-like. "Did I do anything?"

"No," he answered. He glanced to Dela and then back, skeptical. "And don't you dare try."

"I won't so long as you don't give me a reason to. And _truthfully,_ Ryko, there have always been reasons."

"How dare you—" Dela began.

"And if you have anything to say about me, say it _to _me," Eona continued. "It's funny when you insist that I trust you when you clearly never trust me. How I'm always open to communication with you, but you've never been open to communicate with me. Or how you hold back information and have your reasons, but when I do it I'm just wrong for it."

"When have I held back information?!" Ryko exclaimed.

"Whenever you go and tell people that I have a compulsion power and that I will purposefully control them and hurt them for my own pleasure. Like when you went running to Momo and…Chart." She took a deep breath. She couldn't allow herself to get emotional now, because it would prove the very point Ryko had been trying to make against her. He was very good at manipulating things like that. Accusing her of something she hadn't previously been doing, thus causing her to do it in order to make him right.

"I _never _put it like that—"

"You made them think that, and conveniently left out the part where I had trouble controlling it, felt terrible about it afterwards, and how I didn't even want it in the first place." _Well this is just coming full circle now, isn't it._ She turned back to Dela. "As for you, I did it—both times—because you love Ryko and Ryko loves you. And the two of you deserve each other." She paused for a moment. She let the tone of what she'd just said settle in. She said it in a tone that suggested heavily that she did not necessarily mean that as a _good _thing.

Once again, Dela said nothing.

Kygo cleared his throat. "So now that we've got all of that cleared up—"

"Emperor Kygo, I implore you to implement some sort of punishment for this behavior! It's an outrage and an atrocity that she even still has the power to do this—"

"You reap what you sow, Ryko," Eona said.

"This is _not_ what I—"

"ENOUGH!" Kygo shouted. Everyone went silent. "My decision still stands. When the time comes to stop disaster from striking, you will address Lady Eona about this. And she will step up and do her part." Glancing around furiously, he added, "Meanwhile, I do not have the time nor the desire to babysit a bunch of grown men and women. Carry on as you wish, but should any of you want to dispute my decision, you come directly to me, or to Lady Eona." He stopped and rested his gaze on Ryko for a second. "For you, the latter might be the better option." He returned to the rest of them. "We are finished."

* * *

A small fire blazed in front of Eona as she sat in front of her and Kat's cabin late that afternoon. She poked it repeatedly with a stick. Kat sat on the front steps, looking worriedly at Eona. The concern on her face tugged at Eona's heartstrings. Kat was very intuitive without having to use any of her power at all; she could tell the moment Eona walked back in that something was wrong. Which said a lot, considering Eona had been able to fool people about her feelings for most of her life. But when Kat had reached out to her, Eona had stubbornly brushed it off and said there was nothing on her mind. They both knew she was lying. But for the time being, Kat decided to give her some space.

The shadow of a big hulking figure stretched across the ground and Eona glanced up. Ryko loomed over her and sat down on a small rock across from her. She could tell how dark it was getting by the light of the fire dancing around on his face.

"You owe me," he said.

Eona stared at him for no more than a second when a dark laughter bubbled up inside her and came to the surface. She held her sides, not bothering to hide her amusement, then looked back up at him. "I beg your pardon?" She shook her head, incredulous. "Firstly, why don't you take this up with your Emperor, that you bow to without complaint? Oh, that's right. It's because he's a man, and you value men much more than you value women. Secondly," she said with emphasis, cutting his protests off before he could stop her, "I don't owe you a thing. I never did. You got exactly what you deserved. In fact, you actually deserved much worse. I went quite easy on you. If you really want me to, Ryko, I can give you something to be angry _about._" She marveled at the look on his face when she said this. Somewhere deep in her was the guilt she'd been taught to have for so long, but she quickly doused it. "You ought to be thankful that along with power, I also possess restraint. And I'm not sorry about it anymore. I stopped being sorry about it a long time ago, because even when I did apologize for it, you didn't care. I've had it with you."

"This is not at all how you used to be. You used to be far more humble and cooperative. You've changed quite a bit. What happened to you?"

"You're right. You're always right, aren't you? I'm a selfish, stupid fool who only thinks of herself. Let's just completely ignore the fact that I tried so hard to reconcile with you while you continued to give me the cold shoulders. That after I saved your life, whilst putting thirty-six others on my conscience for it, I went on caring about you while you continued to make a fool out of me for doing what I had to do—for pretending to be a boy. Because the law would have me executed. For saving your life. Because_ Dela_ would've had me executed. Because she told me I owed it to you, and because frankly…I felt like I did too at the time. I cared about you. I thought you were my friend." She was startled to realize she was starting to get worked up. Assuming a blank, calm expression once again, she whispered, "But none of that matters. None of it matters because I'm just power-hungry and corrupt. Nothing I do is for good. Only for bad. Everything I do is driven by pure evil and that's it."

A dark look crossed over Ryko's face. "That was how Ido was," he said. "That's not how you are."

"You said I was just like Ido," Eona said, loud enough for the whole camp to hear and not caring. The water in the still river of her façade was becoming rippled.

"I said you were starting to _think_ like him. Not that you were like him. There's a difference." It was clear that Ryko was making an effort to keep his voice steady. He wasn't used to Eona raising her voice at him. But he was about to get more used to it.

She stood up—jumped up—and said, "You think you can just waltz into my life and tell me how to live it? You have _no idea_ what I've gone through just to get to this point—just to get to be a Dragoneye apprentice _candidate,_" she spat. Coldness rolled right off her voice in a way that she'd never done before with Ryko. "I saved your life, you son of a bitch."

She felt a burning slap across her face that made a cringe-worthy _crack! _sound in the air as her head and whole body snapped sideways from it. She put her hand to her mouth, where it would sting for quite a while, and looked up to see Dela standing in front of her, glowering. Eona immediately pushed her to the ground.

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" Kygo and several guards came between Eona and Dela, but Eona paid them no mind. Her eyes remained on Dela, who for some reason looked shock that she ended up on the ground, and Eona clenched her fists. She was ready to go if Dela or Ryko wanted anymore. Ryko was also between the two of them, but not as a guard—he had to be held back too. No one touched his Dela.

"You turned your back on someone who put their friendship and trust into you, and then didn't even try to understand why they did what they did, because you're a _treacherous and dishonorable coward_!" Eona continued.

More people were gathering around, alarmed. She'd started off in a low voice and ended up shouting the last words. _Yes, making a scene is something I've begun to excel at, _she thought half-amused, half-bitter. _And I learned it all from you, Ryko. _Something flashed in Ryko's eyes when she'd said them.

"That's not true!" he yelled. "I stood beside you throughout it all! I did everything I could to help you and keep you out of harm's way!"

His deep voice boomed all around her, but Eona stood her ground, feet planted, nodding her head. "Keep telling yourself that, Ryko. It's always the same old story with you." Dela was up again, now standing in front of Ryko, as though protecting him. Ryko's eyes were wide with fury. Not too long ago, Eona would have been very afraid of having him look at her like that.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. At first she thought it was Kat's but soon realized it was Rilla. Her and Chart and Lon had resided in the next cabin over, the second closest to hers after Kygo's. "Come on, Eona," she whispered in her ear. "You don't have to stand here and take this." She felt a slight tug on her shoulder but stayed in place, still staring at Ryko.

"All I ever wanted was to make a life for myself," Eona said quietly but sternly. She did not blink as she said her next words. "I don't know when or how that made me a bad person." Turning her back, she allowed Rilla to steer her away from Ryko, Dela, and all the other astonished faces in the crowd. As Rilla led her back toward the cabin, Eona felt Ryko and Dela and many other villagers' eyes on her back. Judging her? Pitying her? Who knew. She caught a glimpse of Chart looking out his window like a scared dog cowering behind something after a sudden loud noise. And when she finally stepped through the door, Kat was waiting for her and holding the door open, allowing Eona and Rilla to pass through. Rilla nodded an acknowledgement to Kat, and Kat took a final glance out the door before sliding it shut.

Rilla and Eona sat down on Eona's bed, and Kat walked over and sat on Eona's other side. She didn't say anything. Eona was breathing heavily. Somehow it just seemed wrong to speak right now. They let the silence roll on as Kat reached forward and gently took Eona's hand into hers. Eona did not resist.

There was a voice and a tall shadow at the door. "Mother? Are you in there?"

Rilla looked up, stood, and walked over to the door. She stopped and turned back to Eona. Eona nodded, signaling that she could let him in. When Chart entered, the first thing he said was, "I never liked them."

"Chart," Rilla said.

"They've always been selfish," he insisted.

Eona looked at him curiously. She wanted to hear more.

Chart seemed to catch the look and continued, "When they came to address me, about the…the compulsion thing, they were doing it for themselves. They weren't doing it for me, like they claimed."

Kat slowly maneuvered her arm around Eona, ready to pull it back should Eona flinch even a bit. She didn't.

* * *

Ryko and Dela made their way through the woods, Ryko leading the way, wordless. "Well," Dela said. "That sure escalated!"

"She is, in a word, ignorant," Ryko growled. "And stubborn. And clueless."

"That's three words. And they could just as easily apply to you," someone said.

Ryko and Dela spun around to the person who said that.

"Don't look at me like that," Chart said. "You were never Mr. and Mrs. Innocent yourselves. When Eona healed me, I wanted _her_ to be the one to tell me about the compulsion. But you took that choice away from her—and from me."

Ryko's mouth dropped. "I—that is—I was only trying to warn you. I didn't know if she would tell you or not, so I wanted to make sure you knew about it no matter what." He paused. "I didn't think she would tell you," he repeated, and even to his own ears, it now sounded dumb.

"Well. I guess we'll never know now, will we." Chart bit his lip. "But what I do know is this: She has not purposefully—or even accidentally—compelled me since then. Probably because she's been avoiding me, but still. The one time she did compel me, Ryko, was when you were there."

Ryko opened his mouth as if to protest, and then shut it. He was at a loss for words. This was beginning to happen a lot lately.

"Chart," Rilla said sternly, appearing by his side, "that's enough."

"Is it really a coincidence?" Chart continued. "She even apologized to me for 'not being Eon.' You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Chart, I see what you're getting at, but you're wrong. My problem with Eona is not simply that she is a woman. It's that she is power-hungry, and maybe her intentions are normally good, but she is not always the best at judgment. She often does not see how her own actions affect others until it is too late."

"I guess _your_ intentions were good too," Chart murmured. "But you still got involved where you didn't belong. This was between me and Eona—me and my _friend_, and you took that away from us. All because you needed another glorious moment to show off your faux-chivalry."

"CHART. That is quite enough," Rilla said more forcefully this time. It appeared as though Chart was finished anyway, as he walked away.

Rilla turned toward Ryko and Dela. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that he and Eona haven't spoken to each other for a while. I don't think one is even angry at the other—I think it's because they're both on edge. They used to be…so close. They used to chat and laugh together back in Lord Brannon's residence. I think they really connected because they were both cripples. Out in training, and in outside society in general, Eona—or Eon, at the time—copped a lot of abuse for being crippled and daring to 'take' another's chance and opportunity at becoming a Dragoneye apprentice. Every time she came back though, her and Chart would spend a little time together, when they could. He would make her smile, and I think made her feel a little bit better overall." Rilla sighed. She sounded forlorn, as though she were talking about a long-lost dream rather than an actual past. "In a way, he was really the only friend she had." She didn't say anything after that, but Dela could've sworn she'd detected a certain tone to Rilla's last words: _One that you have successfully and single-handedly taken away from her._

"Pardon me Lady Dela, but, may I speak to you personally about something?" Rilla asked.

Lady Dela looked taken aback. "Oh—yes. Yes, Rilla." She glanced at Ryko. "Alone?"

"No, that's quite alright," Rilla said. "In fact, it might as well be both of you." She took a deep breath. "I was the only one, besides Lord Brannon and Eona herself, who knew what was going on. What she was doing. That she was a girl. Masquerading as a boy."

Dela and Ryko awaited more.

"There are things about her that you don't know."

Ryko snorted. "When isn't there?"

Dela shot him a glare but Rilla ignored him and continued. "Her being crippled, that was no accident. It is probably not even my business to be telling you this, but Lord Brannon crippled her himself with a hammer when she was very young. She'd repressed the whole thing and didn't even remember until right after his death. I remember when we were at his estate, not long after his funeral…she'd flown in to a rage and started yanking books out from his bookshelves, dropping them to the ground, destroying his whole library, as though that would rid her of his betrayal."

Dela stifled a gasp. Even Ryko looked a little ill now.

"Lord Brannon often spoke to me about Eona when she wasn't around. The way he spoke, I could tell, I _just knew_, how proud of her he was. He spoke of her with a certain gleam in his eyes—pride, for her, mixed with regret. He was not proud of injuring and maiming her. But he felt he had no choice.

"I just—" Rilla paused. "I just want to know, my lady, what you would have done in her position."

"Pardon me?"

"I apologize if I sound forward, and I am in no way trying to put you on the spot, but I just am curious. If you were in Eona's shoes, if this was literally the only way out, out of a life of poverty and suffering, and you knew you'd not only be denied but also killed for practicing dragon magic, what would you do?"

"Well, well I—" But Dela was at a loss for words. She turned to Ryko for help, but he was equally lost.

Rilla nodded, as if she'd known they wouldn't be able to answer. "I'm afraid I'm not sure myself. There was no easy way to do this. And I can't imagine what it must've been like for Eona. Every single day, Eona had to walk out that door being Eon, a different person to everybody. And every single day, I saw the fear in her eyes, the fear of getting discovered and judged and what would happen. The alternative certainly wasn't pleasant either. Getting mocked, ridiculed, and spit at for being a crippled candidate. But it was the only choice she had." Rilla set her mouth in a straight line and folded her hands behind her back. "I just wanted you guys to know what she went through to reach her Dragoneye status. It was no easy or fun journey for her. Please, I know I had no right, but…I only ask that you consider the circumstances she was under." And with that, Rilla walked away.

Dela and Ryko looked at each other, and continued walking deeper into the woods, simmering over what had just taken place.

"I think we can stop here. This is the spot." They both stopped at the top of a hill, well beyond the village, at a cliff with a huge rock that overlooked a giant lake. Sunlight shimmered down on it and the only sound that could be heard were crows flying around the area. It was so giant one could mistake it for the sea, except there was no salt scent in the air.

Dela turned and looked up at Ryko, eyes full of worry. "What was it you wanted to tell me, Ryko? And so far away from everyone else?"

"Lady Dela." He turned to face her head-on, gaze serious, chin lifted. "I am—I am healed."

Lady Dela gave a confused laugh. "I know, Ryko."

"No, I mean…I am whole. I am whole again."

Dela's eyes widened.

"I don't know if it is from coming back after death, or if it's something to do with Kat's power. But I am whole once again, and the only one I want to know is you."

Dela nodded, a tear running down her cheek, and she could feel the beauty of finally having what she'd wanted for so long. That she'd thought was impossible.

She said, "Your secret is safe with me."


	7. Deadly Premonition

**Chapter 7—Deadly Premonition**

That night Kat seemed to toss and turn while Eona slept soundly in their beds. Every now and again Eona would sigh heavily or turn suddenly, but other than that she seemed comfortable. Kat on the other hand was restless. Sometime in the middle of the night she sensed a movement on the wall beside her bed that made the hairs on her arm stand up. Sitting up, she gingerly reached under her bed and took out the jar that housed a burning candle, shining it on the wall. Upon seeing what it was, she dropped the jar and rolled out of bed with a _thump!_, grabbing an arrow from her bag. She scurried over to Eona's bed and shook her. "Eona! Eona! Wake up!" she whispered fiercely.

Eona groaned and turned around. Kat continued to shake her. Finally Eona sat up, groggy-eyed, brushing her hair out of her face. "What is it?" she asked irritably.

"It…there's…on the wall…" Eona followed Kat's finger to what it was pointing at.

On the wall across the room, right beside Kat's bed, was a large hairy brown tarantula.

Eona almost yipped, and stood up, backing away. Kat already had hers flattened against the wall. Eona glanced over to the window, then to Kat. "Did you leave the window open?"

"Y-yes," Kat said with convicted sorrow.

They both looked back at the wall. There it was, as still as a statue. All eight long legs spread out, protruding from its upper body. Eona estimated it was slightly bigger than her own hand.

_Alright, _she thought. _You've been through so much worse than this. So, much, worse. Get it together. _Still eyeing the tarantula, she held out a hand to Kat. "Give me the arrow. I'll get it out of here." When she didn't feel anything enter her hand, she looked up at Kat, and saw a look she didn't think she'd ever seen on the girl before—determination.

"No," Kat said. "No. I left the window open. I woke you up. And you spared me and saved me and have been more than generous and hospitable towards me." She swallowed. "I'll do it." The fear was clear in her voice, she didn't try to hide it, but she stood straight with her chin up and began her way across the room.

She pointed the arrow with a firm but shaky grip. She prayed it wouldn't use its legs to latch onto it. Tip-toeing around the bed and towards the wall, gritting her teeth, Kat got closer and closer until she finally managed to bridge the gap between her and the tarantula. The furthest she could be from it and still be able to corral it to the window was about two feet—closer than Kat was comfortable with. She managed to reach out and tap the wall near it with the arrow. It didn't move. She nudged it. It ran forwards.

Kat yelped and jumped back, knocking into Eona. Eona caught her and gently squeezed her shoulders in sympathy. She maneuvered around Kat, taking the arrow. "I'll do it."

"No," Kat insisted. "I've got this." She took the arrow and once again crept forwards. She held her long arm all the way out so as to keep as much distance between her and the tarantula as possible. When the sharp tip of the arrow brushed the tarantula, it sped across the wall toward the window at such a fast pace that Kat slapped a hand on her mouth to keep from screaming. It was at the bottom edge of the window now. Just a little more and it would be gone. She continued to nudge it with the arrow and little by little it inched forward. It didn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. She got it halfway out the window, three-quarters, almost entirely…

Kat leaped forward and wacked the arrow like a whip against the wall, hoping it would startle the spider to go out and not back in. It worked and once it was out all the way, she grabbed the window shutters and pulled them in, slamming them in place. The cabin was now closed off to any future invaders.

Eona and Kat released a collective sigh of relief. Kat turned around, hands still on the shutter handles. "That won't happen again, I…I promise. Please forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you," Eona said softly. She walked over and gave Kat a small smile. "In fact, thank you. Now let's get some sleep."

* * *

The next day neither one of them had spoken about the incident all morning. Around noon while Eona was inside sitting on the bed drinking a cup of water, she glanced out the window and saw Kat outside behind the cabin, practicing her shooting with her bow and arrow on a tree. She had excellent aim. Her body stood strong and firm, her feet apart, one arm pulled back, holding the arrow right in place, the other gripping the bow. Eona couldn't see her face, only the bright fiery color of the back of her head where her hair lifted in the occasional breeze. But she imagined Kat looking very concentrated, perhaps biting down her lip and squinting one eye, focusing on exactly the point on the tree she wanted to arrow to land. The arrow landed just on point.

At this point Eona realized she was now standing at the window, watching Kat shoot her arrows. She did not move. Her feet were rooted to the ground, mesmerized by Kat's movements. She didn't flinch either when Kat turned around and spotted her, staring through the window. For a half-second Kat seemed taken by surprise, but then she smiled and walked up to the window from outside, stopping just in front of it. Eona reached out and pressed her hand against the glass. Kat did the same, and after a few seconds she made her way around the cabin and came inside, where they sat down on the bed next to each other, hand in hand. Each felt safe in the other's presence, and communication between them now seemed as easy as walking had been for Eona after all those years of her injured hip.

In the afternoon, when Eona was sitting outside arranging the wood to prepare a fire, Kat noticed that she had a smile playing around on her lips. Kat sauntered over and stood next to Eona, hands on her hips. Eona glanced up and attempted to appear as innocent as possible.

"Are you laughing at me?" Kat asked.

"No!" But promptly after that, to Kat's utter amazement, Eona burst out in a fit of giggles. She'd never seen Eona laugh before. In fact, she didn't know if she'd even seen Eona smile before. She was usually so serious.

Kat sat down next to Eona on the log. Eona scooted over to give her more room. "I'm…I'm sorry," she said, still containing herself. "It's not that it's funny, it's just…"

Kat was now finding it nearly uncontrollable to laugh herself. "No, it's funny. Now it is. Now that it happened and it's _over._"

They both laughed and it felt wonderful and freeing and uplifting. Whether it was out of amusement or a way to de-stress, for a moment at least it seemed as though their pains and problems dissipated into thin air.

* * *

What had started off as peaceful the next day had become a nightmare in a matter of hours. It started with shouts, more than one person, but one of the shouts was louder and more insistent than the rest.

"It's coming! It's coming!" The shouter came tearing through the village, running at a speed faster than any warrior Eona had ever seen.

"_What's _coming!"

"A mudslide! THERE'S A MUDSLIDE HEADED THIS WAY RIGHT NOW!"

When Eona saw who it was that was doing the shouting, she was so shocked that she didn't even see Kat walk out their front door, alarm all over her face.

"How do you know there is a mudslide coming?" Kygo asked irritably, though Eona could hear a bit of doubt and panic in his voice.

"Because I saw it. I saw it. _I saw it!"_

Kat appeared by Eona's side, gripping her arm. "What is Ryko screaming about?" she asked.

"He's…saying a mudslide is coming our way."

Kat's eyes widened, glancing from Eona back to Ryko. "He has truly gone mad."

Eona could see Dela, Kygo, and several other villagers now trying to calm Ryko down as he stood among them, flailing his arms wildly and gesturing toward the woods, in the direction that sloped upward, which disappeared into a silent eventless distance as far as the eye could see. Eona could not see or hear anything of the like coming their way. Although it was steep enough that if a mudslide were to happen, it would be devastating. She shuddered. There were a few small gradual hills toward an adjacent end of the village, behind Eona's quarters. As of now though, it was a quiet and still afternoon as far as she could tell, and a cloudless blue sky as well. How was one to know a mudslide was coming?

"Ryko, _what_ has gotten into you?" Kygo exclaimed. He looked genuinely frightened now. "Are you okay? Are you okay in the head? Because you're causing a massive public panic right now!"

"Your Majesty," Ryko begged, and Ryko never begged, "there is a mudflow that is going to start towards the top of the mountain and come sliding down at a dangerously fast rate, right toward our village here!"

"By the gods," Kygo breathed, not looking at Ryko anymore. His eyes were fixated up ahead of everyone, toward the upward-sloping woods.

There was a deep rumbling but there were no thunderclouds in the sky. It increased in volume in addition to new unusual sounds, of trees slowly cracking and the _thump_ sound of rocks slamming into trees and other rocks. What started off slowly came heavily now, accelerating down the mountain of the now-sloping trees, swallowing some of them up in its path, running and rushing down the slope toward the village. It wasn't close enough to hit her own cabin and many of the cabins in her vicinity. But it was definitely close enough to destroy a good entire portion of the village, including where Kygo and Ryko and everyone were standing right now. Only now, they were running toward them, though not looking _at_ them, as Kat had initially thought with panic—looking past them at the hills, their escape for safety. Eona grabbed Kat's arm and they both started to take off running, until Eona stopped dead in her tracks and glanced at Kat, digging her fingernails into her arm. "Kat," she said, "you run. Follow everyone." Then Eona took off running toward the crowd, the opposite direction of the hills behind their cabin, toward…toward the mudslide itself.

"Eona!" Kat screamed. "What are you doing?" Fighting every urge to follow Eona, she turned and started running toward the hills again, now surrounded by a sea of people flooding every direction around her. She could hardly see anything due to all chaos and people and noise. The stomping of feet and shouting and people slamming into each other made it look like a stampede. It would've been a deadly one if they'd been inside an enclosed space.

Eona reached the boy whose foot became wedged behind a rock and was desperately trying to get free. A crying woman who Eona presumed to be his mother was trying with all her might to pull him free. Eona wrapped her arms around his small waist and pulled with all her might. He screamed and his foot popped out. His mother scooped him up in her arms and went running, and Eona ran too. The boy was sobbing in pain, and his ankle might've been bruised or broken, but at least they'd reached the mountains and were out of harm's way now as the mudslide came barreling right through the area they'd just been in moments before.

Kat had never seen such an immense natural disaster in the flesh before. The most she'd ever experienced firsthand were thunderstorms, wind heavy enough to break off branches from nearby trees, and a few feet of snow. She'd never imagined something so dangerous and life-threatening, only had heard stories about it.

When Eona approached her, breathless and panting, Kat threw her arms around her and whispered in her ear, "You almost got caught in it!" She stood back and looked at Eona up and down, mentally making sure she was alright, even though it was obvious that she was. Trying to keep her voice at a reasonable level, Kat said, "I—I was really—" Her heart was beating too fast.

"Scared," Eona finished for her. "I know. I'm sorry. But I just couldn't let that kid and his mother suffer like that."

"I wanted to come help you."

Kat saw Eona's jaw go hard. "No, I'd rather you be completely out of harm's way."

Lillia came up to them then and her and Eona exchanged a few words. All around Kat, people were hugging and embracing and in a state of panic. She hoped no one had been hurt.

"_You almost got caught in it!"_ Kat had said. Eona knew she'd been literally seconds from getting swept up in it herself. She hadn't looked once at the oncoming mudslide when she was focused on getting the boy free, but now on safe ground and looking back at the disaster, she was hit hard with the shuddering realization that she could be lodged in there, right now, suffocating slowly. She took a deep breath.

The panic began to die down and the crowd became quiet. Eona stood on her tip toes and tried to see over everyone's heads where the emperor was. With a gentle hand each on Kat and Lillia's arms, she led them with her toward the front of the crowd, everyone politely moving out of her way, until she found Kygo, Ryko, Dela, Tozay, and Vida all nearby. Vida was rubbing her father's back, everyone shaken and breathless, and Tozay said, "How did this happen?"

"Lady Eona, did you know this was going to happen?" The emperor's voice cut through the air to her ear like a knife.

"No," she said defensively, snapping her head in his direction, seeing his scowling face. Which was odd even to her own ears, because part of the dragon magic had been being able to prepare for these types of things and moving them away from harm's way. She'd done it with a cyclone once, when they were traveling via boat to the Eastern Tribes.

Kygo stared at her for a moment, then seeming to decide he believed her, turned to the crowd. "Did _anyone_ else know it was coming?"

There were murmurs and whispers and shakes of the head. Everyone was in utter shock.

He then turned to Ryko. "Obviously _you _did. And the question is how?"

Ryko went completely still, opened his mouth to answer, but then nothing came out for an uncomfortable few seconds. "I…I'm not entirely sure, your Majesty."

Kygo was silent for a few seconds as well. "So you _just knew._ Is that what you're saying?" Eona could see his lips slightly parted and his teeth looked gritted. She momentarily thought he was angry but then realized he was doing it out of unease.

"Well—" Ryko began.

"Wait. You said you 'saw' it. I assume you don't mean when it was coming, since you were saying that long before any of the rest of us saw it approaching, am I correct?"

"Yes," Ryko.

"What do you mean then?"

"It was a clear image I'd had almost the moment I woke up, and I got a very bad feeling about it. I felt I needed to let everyone know." He almost sounded defensive, like he wanted to add, 'And I was right,' but Ryko would never speak to Kygo that way.

"How do you mean then?"

"I believe it's called a premonition, your Majesty. I had a dream last night something like this was going to happen. Dreams normally stay dreams. But when I awoke I still had a terrible intuition that it was going to happen for real. I can't quite explain it, your Majesty…I'm sorry."

"Pardon me, your Majesty, may I say something?" someone asked.

"Speak," Kygo responded, still staring at Ryko.

"Even though this is a very strange question that we would all love to know the answer to, we have a more pressing issue at hand."

"And what is that?"

"Some of the villagers were up in the woods this morning, near the direction where the mudslide came from," the man said in a heavy voice. "We don't know if they're alright. May I ask, your Majesty, if we could send out search parties to go and find them and rescue them right away?"

Kygo turned away from Ryko, looking at the man for the first time. "Yes. Do you know approximately how many?"

"From what we can gather, twenty sir."

A few people gasped, and Kygo looked away. "That is pressing. A pressing matter indeed," he seemed to be saying more to himself than anyone else. He looked up again, regaining his composure. "Alright. This must be a result of all the rain we've been getting on and off for a couple months now. We will send out search parties in every direction near this mudslide. It seems to have covered quite a bit of area." He paused, and turned to Ryko. "It is because of you that more of us are alive and not dead. Had we been warned even a second too late, very many of us could be buried underneath that mud right now." He gestured at the destruction of cabins and trees, and the long thick viscous brown mud that covered a good portion of their village and that had piled up in several areas, several feet. The highest parts were well above where the cabins themselves had stood, and no one could see over it. Now there was nothing visible where the cabins had stood except chipped and cornered pieces of it.

"From now on, everyone will bow to Ryko. He is one of our most trusted guards. He did not have to warn us about this—this vision he had, as he didn't even know it was really going to happen. Many would be afraid of being seen as mentally unstable, and would not trust their own instincts on something that seemed so crazy, even to them." He turned back to Ryko. "But he did, and he saved us, from what would've been another horrendous catastrophe that would've been the end of our very empire."

There was a silence that followed that allowed those grim words to sink in. Even Kat seemed to sense the gist of what was being said. Then she noticed that everyone around her started bowing, including Eona, and at first she thought they were bowing at the emperor. But then she realized, with alarm, that they were all looking at Ryko. Mostly Dela, who still had a mystified look on her face from the phenomenon that just happened, but with some pride mixed in now. She kneeled down next to Eona, trying to gauge any sort of discomfort or anger or shock rolling off in waves from her. But she didn't even get a single spray of it. Eona was as calm and focused as if she were a regular citizen bowing to the emperor.

* * *

Among the missing were Lon, Dela's father, and Mama Momo, made more clear by the distressed looks on Dela's and Ryko's faces and their eagerness to go out and search. Search groups were arranged as soon as Kygo and several guards could trace and map out different routes to be taken. Eona was surprised to know that she was allowed to take Kat with her (she knew it was more because they still didn't trust Kat and because Eona was the only one who could speak to her) and that they were both allowed to go alone on their own route. Kygo said it was because their route was the shortest. Eona knew that was a lie, as her and Kat's route led uphill. The mudslide had ended a little ways past the village, but no one really knew where it had started. She knew the real reason why her and Kat were going alone was because people were still antsy and untrustworthy around her—a thought that made her blood boil, as Kat was the one who revived Ryko, thus having them all get to be warned ahead of time. But another thought occurred to her—the emperor must really have trusted Eona herself if he was allowing her to travel alone with Kat. The mixed feelings battled and raged on inside her as negotiations were discussed.

The rest of the villagers were told to remain calm until there was further news. While the search groups were out, they were encouraged to help those of the destroyed cabins by assisting in retrieving belongings, allowing others to share cabins, and remaining calm and reasonable.

When they all grouped up, closer to the woods now and away from the general population, Kat looked nervous and scared. Eona felt a pang in her heart for her. Kat must've felt very vulnerable not knowing what exactly was going on and not being able to understand anything or anybody. They all bowed, except for Kygo, and Ryko, who stood right beside him, when Kygo held a hand out to keep him from bowing. Clearly they were bowing for not only the emperor, but for Ryko as well.

"No, I don't…" Ryko said with an embarrassed expression on his face, not yet used to or comfortable with this type of attention. Out of the corner of her eye, Eona saw Dela holding back a smile.

"You've earned it, Ryko," the emperor said.

Again, Kat watched Eona. She wished she could've simultaneously looked at everybody else, but she couldn't flawlessly do that if she took her eyes off Eona. Plus, there weren't that many people in the vicinity anyway. Which meant it would be easier to notice if she made a mistake. As was such, she felt Eona standing back up and was about to do the same when she felt a slight slap on her head. She jumped and looked up in alarm.

"You would do well to do what you're told!" Kygo snapped. Kat didn't know what he was saying though; all she saw was an aggravated-emperor yelling at her, about two inches from her face.

"Kygo," Eona said sternly. She knew she was the only one who could get away with just calling him Kygo. "She doesn't understand what we're saying."

"Then perhaps you should begin to teach her. It would suit her well to know what's going on around here. Especially when I speak." Eona glared at him but he turned away and continued to issue orders and basic protocol. When it came time to mount the horses, Eona was able to mount it alright on her own, but Kat, despite being taller, slipped and fell. One of the soldiers caught her from behind and hoisted her up on the horse. She awkwardly didn't know where to put her arms or what to hold on to. Eona said something to the soldier which sounded like, "Thank you." Kat just nodded in thanks, since she didn't know how to say Thank you in their language.

Eona turned halfway and said, "Put your arms around my waist. We won't be going fast, but that will secure you more."

Kat put her arms around Eona, a thin but sure electrical buzz of adrenaline rushing through her at the close intimacy of them touching. She was more than relieved when they were out of sight of everyone else and traveling on their own.

* * *

The mudslide spanned over a mile in width and had flowed for several miles from up the mountain through the woods where it started. There were tree branches and boulders bigger than her sticking out that had been caught and swept up into the flow, a reminder of just how strong this mud was. And indications of how the mud itself wasn't the only thing that was dangerous, much like how a tornado itself wasn't initially the dangerous culprit in a catastrophe. The debris in it was oftentimes far worse. Eona shuddered looking at all of it.

Kat could feel the slight tension in Eona's body. Her back was very straight and stiff, and she gave off uncomfortable energy. Kat was sure she did the same though—it was hard to be optimistic when twenty people were missing in this quiet, disaster-stricken area. Her own head was cluttered with thoughts she'd rather not be thinking—there were things she wanted to ask or talk about to Eona, but they all seemed inappropriate right now. One of them was related to the previous day when she knew something had gone wrong—horribly wrong—at the meeting between her, the emperor, Dela, and Ryko. When hadn't it? She wanted to assure Eona that she shouldn't listen to these people, and that she was always on her side. That Kat would never betray her like they did. That she had faith in her, and it could never be destroyed. No amount of rumor-spreading by Ryko or victim-blaming by Dela could do that. It may have worked on others, but not Kat.

The second thing she wanted to query Eona about was sword fighting, and what it was like to battle with not just one sword, but two. She could feel Eona's swords that were strapped to her back in an X shape digging into her chest and stomach as she held onto Eona. They were almost half her length. They must've felt very heavy. Kat was curious about many things. Did it feel less sufficient when it was just one? Did Eona get the same feeling of panic and vulnerability if she didn't have her swords—or even just one sword—right by her side that Kat got when she didn't have her bow and arrows strapped to her back? One thing that always stressed Kat out was that she was always reluctant to use her arrows so as to avoid running out when she really needed them. Mostly though, Kat was interested in learning how to fight with swords herself. Surely they would be much more useful and powerful than just a bow and arrows, especially when you were too close to your enemy to have them be of any use at all. One could defend themselves immediately, no waiting or timing needed. But she just didn't know if Eona would be comfortable with teaching anyone else any methods or anything really about swords. Her swords belonged to her ancestresses, Kinra and Charra. They were sacred and personal.

So since she was avoiding these two topics, Kat just said, "You were right about the horses."

"What about the horses?" Eona asked.

"When you said, 'Just wait 'til you have to mount horses.' It was when we were talking about our heights, back at the lake…" _The lake._ Their lake. Was it still there? Or was it now covered up and buried underneath the ground forever? Then a more terrifying thought came to her: What if her and Eona had been there just this day, carelessly and naively enjoying themselves, only to have a monster of a landslide come and trap them and drown them right there?

A shudder rippled through her. Kat bit her lip and tightened her grip on Eona's waist, though Eona didn't seem to mind. "You will get used to it," she said. "It's still something I have trouble doing too. They're just big creatures, that's all. But they're patient too."

Nodding, Kat asked the next thing on her mind right away. "What does it feel like?"

"What does what feel like?"

"Connecting to your dragon."

There was a silence and Kat's heart sank, thinking she'd asked the wrong question. She tried to keep her voice even, but, "I'm sorry," came out embarrassingly shaky.

"No, it's alright!" Eona said, turning her head halfway as if to look back at Kat. "I've just never had anyone ask me that before."

"Really?" She knew the Celestial Empire where Eona came from had been familiar in the practice of Dragoneyes and dragon magic for several centuries now, but she just now thought that maybe the connection between Dragoneye and dragon was so personal, that even the closest people didn't talk about it. Maybe the only people who truly knew were the Dragoneyes themselves.

"What would you like to know about it?"

"Um…during the moment of Union, what does it look like? Or sound like, or smell like, or taste like?"

"It tastes like cinnamon."

Kat almost laughed. "Cinnamon?"

"And vanilla orange."

"That's…more interesting than I expected."

"And when I can see all the dragons, it is a whirling rainbow of colors and energy."

Kat smiled at Eona's enthusiasm. "Does it feel good? Or scary?"

Eona sighed, as though she were recounting an old experience that brought her pleasure. "It's one of the most joyous feelings I've ever felt." Suddenly Eona perked up and all relaxation vanished. Her back stiffened with that same serious posture again, and she was looking over at a small dark space that'd been created by fallen trees and branches, creating a sort of cave. It was far into the mud regions that were not recommended to go venturing into. "I think I heard something over there," she said, pointing. She backed the horse up a bit, until they were around the corner and the cave-like structure was out of sight. "Kat," she said, "I want you to stay here. I won't be that far and I won't be that long. I'll be really careful. If I'm in any danger I'll call out to you, but I don't think that's going to happen. But _I want you to stay here. _Okay?" Eona got off the horse, feeling a little guilty ordering Kat like this, because she didn't like to think of herself as in charge of the girl, even if that's how the rest of the villagers viewed it. But she wanted Kat to be safe and away from the unsteady unstable ground. And she knew if she told Kat firmly, she'd do it.

"Okay," Kat said without hesitation.

With a final nod, Eona walked ahead, firm but cautious.

She'd rounded the corner and Kat and the horse were out of sight. What she'd planned on doing was stopping for only a second, listening to the slight breeze and otherwise complete silence for anything at all, and then go back to get Kat. They would search together, walking along the muddy border, because an extra pair of ears would be useful. She would have Kat walk directly behind her because even though they weren't planning on walking onto unsteady ground, Eona still felt more comfortable with Kat on her heels so that if they were to walk into a danger zone, Eona would be the one to step in it rather than Kat.

But none of this went to plan. Because the second Eona took to hear the wind and contemplate what it was that had bothered her and given her an unexplainably bad feeling about this area, he attacked.

She was pushed from behind, shoved forward almost into the mud itself. She used every molecule of energy to slide to a halt before falling facedown and spun around. The person who was standing before her left her mind reeling in hysteria.

The contrast of the dark and light planes on his face. The long narrow nose. The oily black beard. The black braided queue at the back of his head. And the eyes…the eyes that only craved one thing: Power.

It could not be. _It could not be._ He'd died at the end of the war, when Eona had decided to give the pearl back to the dragons, thus restoring peace to the empire. He was gone. His own greed for power proved to be the end for him.

So how was he standing here right in front of her now?

He was wearing a tunic, in which the sleeves appeared to be ripped off, boots, and a pair of trousers. A pair of trousers that had a clear sword stashed away against them. "Ah. We meet again." The moment the smile that slowly started to spread across his face reached the glint in his eyes, Eona knew she was in danger, and had her sword out before she could contemplate anything else.

He was just as fast. Their swords collided and each was moving on his and her feet like fighters in the middle of an arena, giving their all. Eona no longer echoed thoughts of the fact that this man who had died before her was here now, fighting her. She no longer relayed the questions of how, when, where, why, what, and possibly who—but mostly how. She just followed instinct after instinct upon instinct that she'd been taught and trained to do all her life, to protect herself from certain death. To survive.

But he'd had just as much grueling training and ruthlessness.

And Eona wasn't fast enough this time.

Ido struck out with his sword, clashing into hers, and they held it for about ten seconds before she started being shoved backwards on the ground. Turning sharply, Ido rammed his shoulder into Eona's chest so hard her breath was knocked out of her. Eona stumbled backwards into part of the muddy region, her sword still in her grasp, but her legs sinking into the mud, up to her knees.

He raised his sword. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll only cut off your hand. I won't kill you. You know how much we need each other, my Lady." Her skin crawled at his voice. It had not changed a bit. Everything about it was familiar to her. She bent over, desperately scrambling for common ground, which only caused her to sink deeper. "Power needs power. We will make an excellent team together. But first, I must teach you some discipline. The discipline that your old Master failed to teach."

Keeping his sword raised in one hand, he used his other to grab her hand and hold it in place. Just as he was about to bring down the sword and slice her hand clean off, an arrow swooped in and struck him straight through his arm, causing him to drop his sword and yell in agony. He let go of Eona and with gritted teeth, whipped around to see Kat standing not too far away, releasing another arrow. He ducked and dodged it, picking up his sword and making his way further up hill, avoiding the arrows as they came. And they came fast. He darted through the trees, disappearing further into the woods.

Eona tossed her sword onto the solid ground, which was more than a couple feet away from her. Kat immediately ran over to the edge of the mud and put her bow and arrow down. She was about to step onto it when Eona threw up her hands and exclaimed, "No! The last thing we need is for you to be stuck too."

With all her might, Kat stayed rooted to the ground, and held out her hands as far as she could. "Take my hands," she said. "I'll get you out."

Eona looked unconvinced, but she raised her own hands and reached out. With both of them reaching as far as they could, there was still a gap of air between them. Eona cursed herself silently. If only she hadn't stumbled in so far. He'd caught her completely off guard. She let her arms fall and tried to stay still. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she opened them to see Kat staring worriedly at her. "It's okay," Eona said. "I'm fine. Why don't you just go and get help—"

"Eona, I'll find a long stick or fallen branch or something and use it to get you out."

"Here. Try this." Eona took the sheath from her back and held it out. She was reluctant about this though, because she didn't want to pull Kat in. She knew she had more strength in her grip than Kat. This proved to be true when Kat started to skid toward the mud, and Eona immediately let go, not wanting to risk it any further. "Just go get another search party," she said. "Find Kygo or Ryko or someone." She waved her away. "Go get Kygo—"

"Let's try one more time," Kat said firmly, holding out the sheath once again. Sighing, Eona took hold of the sheath once again and tried as much as possible to hold back her strength on it. It had to be all Kat, or she would pull Kat in. She could feel Kat tugging away, the grunts of struggle as Kat tried to pull Eona's weight. Eona was fully prepared to let go should she suspect Kat even beginning to slide forward again.

The insecure, uneven ground seemed to crumble and cave in a little more as Eona's slight arms reached forward, and though Kat was leaning back with all her might, face up toward the sky, her eyes were squeezed shut and sweat had started to bead up and drip down her face. She knew her knuckles were as white as they felt. She felt as though something were tearing them apart, but she was not going to let go until Eona was out of there.

Suddenly she felt someone's strong arms around her waist and Kat was pulled backwards, yanking Eona along with her, Eona landing on top of her hard. Kat let out a choked gasp. Eona rolled off immediately, legs completely muddy and sore. Whoever Kat was on pushed her off roughly, and she rolled to the ground. When she looked up, her mouth dropped open. It was emperor Kygo. Several others stood around him, astonished expressions on all of their faces. Ryko, Dela, Tozay, someone helping Eona up shortly before she dashed over to Kat, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. There was also Lon, Momo, and Dela's father. Eona felt a slight relief spread through her.

"What's going on here?" Kygo demanded angrily. He was so close to her face Eona could practically smell his breath. His voice rang loud in her ears, much louder than it needed to be. "I just saw someone darting through the trees. Up there." He pointed to where Ido had retreated. "Kat shot at him. Who was that?"

"That," she said, "was Ido."

Kat choked back a gasp. There had been some arguing and commotion amongst them, mostly between Eona and the emperor, but one word, or name rather, she recognized immediately was _Ido._ She hadn't gotten a good look at the guy. For that matter, she hadn't ever gotten a good profile of him through Eona's memories either, despite all of the time Eona shared with him. But she could never forget that name. _Ido._ Short, simple, and cold. It made her shiver all over.

Kygo and everyone else seemed to take a collective breath and held it, pure terror and shock radiating through the air. "That is crazy. Ido is dead."

"So was Ryko," Eona said. She hadn't realized until right after she said it how that must've sounded, what it must've implied.

Kygo's voice rose with every octave. "You're saying that you and Kat performed a ceremony where you brought back Ido—"

"_NO! _I'm just saying that it's not impossible, and _you know it._ There are many things we're still learning about, pertaining to dragon power and other types of power that we've never seen before. We've been learning this for a while now, throughout the war, and since encountering others. There are things we have no idea about—but I _do _know what I saw. And that person was Ido."

Looking entirely unconvinced yet disturbed all the same, Kygo glanced around at everyone before bringing his gaze back to Eona for a second, then huffed and got on his horse. "You all, come with me," he snapped, pointing at the entire search party. "Everyone come with me. Whoever he is, we're going to find him. And get some answers." Kygo maneuvered his horse and started down the steep rocky hill that curved and lead upwards again toward the woods, everyone following silently. Eona helped Kat on the horse and they were off. Despite her frustrations, she couldn't blame Kygo for not believing her. She could barely believe it herself. But they were both about to see that it was as true as the power she possessed.

As they carried on deep into the woods, careful to avoid muddy patches here and there, Eona began to wonder if she really _had _been imagining it. Maybe she was eating too little, moving too fast, thinking too hard. She'd almost convinced herself that her imagination was messing with her mind when she felt Kygo abruptly stop in front of her.

"By the gods," Kygo whispered, his entire body tensing and stiffening. Even from behind him Eona could tell his face, his eyes, his entire being froze up. She could swear her own heart stopped beating for a second. The shock between everyone was palpable.

There Ido was, buried chest-deep in thick mud, surrounded by heaps of mud and sticks and branches. There was a huge pile of twigs hanging from a loose branch just above his head, nearly jabbing him. Most of the ground was covered in twigs or leaves, but Eona could still tell when she looked close enough that he was embedded in there like a fish caught on a hook, packed in tightly, close enough that his braids trailed on the dirt behind him. He had his arms spread out on either side of him, trying to keep himself steady above the surface without caving in anymore. The unsteady, unsafe ground was more like quicksand than anything, and Eona could almost see the struggle and strain on his otherwise blank face.

"Things changed once you died." The sharpness in Kygo's tone indicated that he'd probably wanted to say 'once you _rightfully _died.'

"I definitely see that," Ido said in a sour voice. "You've got a pasty-faced milky-hided archer whose head is on fire."

Kat immediately took an arrow and stretched back with her bow, pointing it right at Ido. Eona threw out her arms in front of it. "No, Kat," she said. "I know it's tempting, but we need to figure out how he got here. We cannot kill him. He has power." With a frustrated sigh, Kat lowered her bow and arrow.

"I will not go back," Ido snarled. "I'd rather sink to oblivion than join any of you or share any of my power. I'd rather be sucked up and devoured and swallowed alive than be allied with any of you." As if to echo his words, the ground seemed to sink in a little more and he went further down, until he up to his chin. Eona thought she heard a little intake of breath, but he made no move to reach out to anyone. He took careful hold of a branch though.

"You're almost there," Ryko observed nonchalantly.

"Believe me, I wish we could let you do just that, and I definitely wouldn't call it an _alliance_," Kygo spat in disgust, turning to the others."Get him out."

* * *

Two large burly guards marched Ido out of the woods, Kygo and the other searchers following behind. As with Kat and Ryko, there were gawks and stares of astonishment. There were also terrified, disgusted hisses. Most people remembered Ido and all he had done to the Celestial Empire. All to gain power over it. His hands were bound in front with rope and though he was a relatively tall man, the guards still towered over him, almost making the three of them appear as a valley with Ido in the middle.

"Drop him," Kygo commanded. They dropped Ido to the ground abruptly and he struggled a little to sit up. Once he was up on his knees, Kygo said, "Sit him against the wall." The guards each grabbed one arm and dragged Ido across the ground over to the wall of Kygo's cabin. His back slammed down against it and he growled.

"How did you get here?" Kygo asked, standing tall above Ido on the ground. The guards each took their places accordingly, planting their feet on each side of Ido, ready to pounce should he try to escape. Not that that was very possible with his bound hands.

When Ido didn't answer back, Kygo repeated, "How did you get here?" When he was met by just the continual glaring from Ido, Kygo raised his voice. "_How did you get here?_"

"Are you sad it was me and not your mother and brother?"

Kygo flew into a rage where he was kicking Ido in the chest and face, Ido's head banging against the wall, and the guards had to restrain their emperor. "Emperor Kygo!" one of them said. "Emperor Kygo."

Kygo took a step back and exhaled a visibly angry trembling breath, and when Ido smiled up at him and dared to let out a low laugh, Eona knew Kygo wished to dispel him of his life once again, once and for all. But if they didn't know how Ido got here in the first place, how were they to know he wouldn't come back again?

Eona stepped forward. "Emperor. Maybe I can get him to speak."

Kygo glanced back at her like he'd only just noticed her there. "How, my Lady?"

Eona turned and saw Ryko standing further back with Dela. Chart and Rilla were standing feet away from them, weary-eyed. "Ryko," she said, "take Chart and get yourselves as far from here as possible. Maybe I can compel Ido." She said it as casually as if she were saying, 'Maybe it will rain today'.

There was a collective gasp that swam through the crowd. Even Ido's face fell for the first time. Then he let out another, yet noticeably more nervous, laugh. "This is a joke, am I right? You can't compel me anymore. Our bond was broken ages ago."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Kygo said. "She is still able to compel Ryko. Who knows if this compulsion bond is ever truly severed."

"That's impossible." Ido gritted his teeth and gazed up at Eona, anger shining in his eyes. "You cannot compel me anymore. And speaking of your lap dog, how did he come back here?" Ido craned his neck, looking around until he caught sight of Ryko. Then he smiled again. "So you know she can still compel you, as your emperor claims. It makes me wonder, is it not really just your selfless need to serve her, even after death? What have you had to do for her _this_ time around, Ryko?"

Ryko's jaw was set in a tight hold while one of the guards beside Ido clamped a hand down on his shoulder. "WE ask the questions around here, and you shut up unless you're answering. Got it?" He dug his fingers into Ido's flesh, hard enough to probably leave marks later on.

"How did you get here?" Eona asked. She would give him one last chance.

"The dragons are back. The have reawakened. Therefore, they need their Dragoneyes, and I am the last known Dragoneye of the Rat Dragon. So essentially, Lady Eona, I came back by using the same power that got you to run your hands all over my body—my dragon power."

Forgetting about compulsion, Eona picked up the nearest stick, thrust the tip of it in the small quiet fire that was set up and crackling near Kygo's cabin, and pressed it against Ido's arm. Ido screamed and writhed in fury, and tried unsuccessfully to swat away at the burned stick. It took less time for the guards to restrain her than it did for Kygo. The stick dropped to the ground, the tip of it now nothing more than a smoldering ember. Once she was released, Eona picked it back up and blew the tip of it, steam flying away. She threw it back to the ground before the guards could restrain her again. "We've got our answer. Seems like the Rat Dragon has returned, just like the Mirror Dragon."

Silence met her words. She turned and walked away, Kat following her. Her business here was done.

She could hear Kygo signal the guards to take Ido into the prison, followed by the sounds of their rough handling of him. Though for Ido, nothing was rough.

"Eona." Dela's voice followed her, followed by footsteps. Eona tried to walk faster, but Dela appeared before her, having caught up to her and walking around to stop and face her. Dela had a stunned and shocked expression on her face. "Why did you do that? That isn't like you."

Eona wanted to laugh. This was the same woman who'd, not too long ago, forced Eona to use her then-destructive dragon power to kill and account for thirty-six people so that Ryko could live to fulfill his mission, to fulfill his duty—only Eona didn't know that duty involved betraying her and hurting her. And the sad part was that there were more examples of Dela's previous demands that at one point Eona thought 'weren't like her'.

"No doubt Ido deserves it. And I suppose it was effective, but—"

"Lady Dela." Eona stopped and looked her square in the eye. "You and everybody else wanted me to stay away from him, to not bring him food or water." She jerked her head, getting a stray hair out of her eyes. "You wanted me to use my compulsion power to compel Ido in front of a large crowd. You wanted me to burn him. And now, you have a problem?"

Mouth opening slowly to give a response that didn't come, Dela stood frozen to the ground, as though her feet were planted there like roots. Eona continued to walk.

* * *

Kat followed Eona back to the cabin. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Eona recounted what she'd said to Lady Dela. _"You wanted me to use my compulsion power to compel Ido in front of a large crowd. You wanted me to burn him. And now, you have a problem?" _It was true, wasn't it? And yet is still unnerved her now to know that those words came from her own mouth.

"Eona." Kat walked over from the window she'd been looking out of to where Eona sat and put her hands on Eona's shoulders. "You are a wonderful person."

"I'm so sorry," Eona said.

"Eona. You are not allowed to apologize anymore."

Eona turned and gaped.

"I know you don't wish to hurt anyone if you don't have to. If people force you into these things, then it's not your fault." Eona started to say more, but Kat put a single finger on Eona's mouth and Eona instantly fell quiet. "I don't want to hear another 'sorry' out of you. Or any self-blame of any sort. Leave that for the others," she said, waving a hand dismissively to the outside world. "They may have hit hard times, but you've been oppressed your whole life. Their choices may be scarce, but yours are next to none. And you chose…you chose to spare my life, take me in, and care for me as if I were your own sister or child. Even though it has clearly further separated your trust relations with your people."

Eona shrugged. "They never trusted me to begin with."

"But now they trust you even less. It isn't something you can easily afford." Kat sat down next to Eona, so close their bodies touched. She put an arm around Eona, for once feeling Eona's fragileness. Eona did not respond and they both knew it was because Kat was right. "You've selflessly defended me and taken care of me. For that, let me do it for you too. Let me take care of you back." She wrapped her other arm around Eona and they embraced, squeezing each other tightly, refusing to let go, as if doing so would cause the other to vanish. When they finally pulled back and faced each other, they were about an inch apart, breathless. Less than an inch. They could feel each other's breath on their lips. Their lips touched, Eona's smooth and warm, Kat's thin and cold. It felt good allowing Eona to warm her up, to take the lead. The lead that she'd started. They worked together. They were a team.

When they separated, they were silent and panting, staring at each other. Neither of them wanted to break the beautiful silence with words. They just kept staring at each other, as though to stare was to breathe air, and twined their fingers together. Kat felt like she was floating. Eona's heart beat faster than it ever had before. Faster than when connecting with her dragon, when the day came for the Dragoneye candidate to be chosen, when she'd been connecting with Ido and then Dela and Ryko came to assert power…no person had ever made Eona's heart beat this fast before. Not even Kygo. And the most amazing thing about it was that it wasn't fear she was feeling.

If the garden of gods had a feeling, this would be it.

* * *

The next day was a mix of joy, sorrow, and worry. The joy came from the miraculous and collectively-recognized fact that no one had died in the mudslide. It hadn't been a very big mudslide, and it had definitely destroyed a great many cabins, causing much more crowded homes as people moved in with one another. Eona and Kat offered space in their own, but were refused, as they and Kygo and Ryko were all considered superior to the empire. Eona could tell that all of them, even Kygo himself, were uncomfortable with it, though everyone seemed to find a place to stay regardless. People were still asking demanding questions that Ryko did not have the answers to, now involving his apparent ability to dream of things that are going to happen in the future, and some of them were getting aggressive now. Kygo strictly put his foot down to instantly quiet them, and the day went on.

People worked to put tables together to form bigger tables where company could sit together. Everyone worked to distribute food, both hunted and cooked, and grown or gathered, to create a feast where everyone got at least a decent-sized meal, even two servings when the rations were portioned thoroughly. Kat sat with Eona during the feast as everyone dined, grateful for every bite of food she had. When things began to die down and people were starting to get up and leave, Eona appeared by Kat's side. "Would you like to go somewhere?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Somewhere other than our lake?"

"Yeah." Kat thought she sounded as shy as she felt. She cleared her throat. "Yes, of course. Definitely." She held her head up and tried to appear calm and confident, even though she felt fluttery on the inside.

Eona took her by the hand, which surprised Kat since they were still in a public place, but she went along without complaint as Eona led her through the woods, toward a different direction now. The chatter and presence of everyone else in the village gradually quieted down and died behind them. Soon it was just them, silent in the woods.

Unlike the silence they'd shared just yesterday, things were starting to feel awkward with the silence filling up the space between them right now like a brick wall as they walked along the path. She decided to start a conversation out of the blue. "Have you ever owned a cat before?" Kat asked.

Eona glanced at her, mildly amused. "I haven't. Have you?"

"Yes. Well, it wasn't really mine. But when I was younger, my caretaker had one that would come around the house sometimes, and it was white, orange, and brown all over. We would feed it food and it would always be waiting around the corner outside for me whenever I went out or came back in. Sometimes I felt like it was watching me, like we had some kind of connection or something."

"Like you were friends?"

"Yeah. Or like it was my guardian or something." Kat laughed nervously. "Probably sounds pretty stupid to you, huh."

"No, not really. Animals are mysterious. You probably did have a connection of some sort if it was waiting there for you all the time."

Kat smiled. "I really like cats."

"And I'm sure cats like you too—Kat."

They both giggled quietly, and a more comforting silence ensued.

The path began to lead upward on the same sloping direction the mudslide had come down, only they were out on the far side where the grass still remained untouched by it. They weren't traveling far, but the hill they were traveling up made Kat a little more exhausted than she was willing to admit. It was tempting a couple times to ask to stop and rest, but she kept quiet and just kept going. Rest would come soon enough.

At last, they'd reached the top of the hill—no, it was actually a mountain, Kat realized. She could see such a view from here of a world of other mountains, their peaks topped with snow and a panorama of trees, rocks, and caves here and there. It was even more incredible than the mountain they'd been on when the Mirror Dragon returned. Terrifying if one stood too close to the edge, but exhilarating when standing safely back. "You can see so much up here," was all Kat could say.

"Sometimes I forget how huge the world is," Eona agreed. "I rode up here yesterday with one of the horses. I think it'd be the perfect place to meditate."

Kat nodded. It was so high up, yet safely guarded by all the rocks and trees and sloped ground. It was a wide open space even though it was a cliff, so it felt reasonably secure, like a whole other world in the sky. She briefly imagined the Celestial dragons flying around up here, being within touching distance. It already felt like she was in touching distance with the sky itself. What would it be like if one could live up here forever, always relaxed, never having to worry about or deal with the troubles of the world down below?

"Kat."

Kat snapped out of her reverie. "Oh. Yeah?"

"Would you like to sit down and let me tell you a story?"

"Yes." They both sat down, cross-legged, facing one another. Eona, she noticed, barely looked breathless at all from the hike up. Kat had figured Eona had patiently and generously kept her pace slow so as to allow Kat to keep up with her. On full stomachs though, they both felt warm and centered. Kat sat up straight and took a few deep breaths, keeping herself mostly still. She put her palms on her knees and closed her eyes, taking in Eona's voice like the quiet flowing water of the waterfall at the lake.

"Have you been in or seen a garden before? And I don't just mean any garden, with a few plants here and there. I mean a really giant enclosed one that's generally only available to an elite few, such as royalty."

"I have not," Kat said.

"Well get ready." Eona set up a lit lantern between them, as though it were a fire, preparing for the night to come. "I haven't seen very many myself in person, but there are numerous paintings of them in the library, so vivid and detailed that it's _like_ you're there. You will never get it out of your head after seeing it."

Eona began. Kat listened to Eona's soft but strong voice and took every single detail in, using all of her senses. She could smell, hear, see, and feel the enormous, extravagant garden. It made their pond seem small and inferior. Kat had never stretched her imagination this far before. The heavy descriptions and imagery made it all easy to visualize. To say Eona was a good storyteller was the master of understatements.

The garden would be so rich and luxurious that only court officials and palace guards were allowed out into it, for peace and meditating, or perhaps just to get away from the busy and stressful court life. Though it would be closed in and bordered on all sides by a high fence wall, it would be so large that it would feel free and open. It would be safe and protected from the outside world, with guards and heavy security on the inside of the palace where it led to, and on the outside of the giant back gates with the dragon-shaped handles. But it would be like its own private world on the inside, just for the two of them.

First there would be the wide pond, with the green lily pads and pale pink flowers floating around on the water, all of the bright colors contrasting with one another. There would also be a path that led to a gazebo jutting out into the pond, its pointy roof giving shade and a sense of concealment in the already hidden garden. Lastly, there would be a dragon-shaped fountain towards the other side of the pond, spouting water from its mouth into the pond, the water hitting water in a stream, the only sound in the otherwise quiet garden.

There would be rocks at the edge of the pond and the pond and the rocks would be one together, since the water ate away at the rocks over time but the rocks kept the water from spilling over onto the grass. On the grass there'd be a zigzag bridge, and there'd be multiple paths throughout the garden, like a huge maze that was deliberately built for a challenge, with flowers here and there on the leafy walls. On days where it rained there were trees that were so big they served as shelter and one could easily keep dry. Or, they could go out into the rain if they wished to soak up what some believed were the tears of the gods. Other believed it was the tears of the dragons. And others simply believed it was just rain. Just sweet glorious rain.

She could now imagine music being played in her ears, a tune like none she'd ever heard before. She couldn't imagine exactly where it came from, or who was singing it; perhaps it didn't come from the garden at all, but was a part of the garden. Maybe it _was _the garden. All she knew was that the melody sounded both serious and calming at the same time. Like it was reassuring you to not feel scared, to not worry at all, that everything was going to be alright. It was a strange mix of uplifting hope, and engraved undeniable truth.

Was this anything like what the garden of the gods was?

When she opened her eyes again, she felt serene and relaxed. Even as she stared ahead of her at her surroundings, her body still felt as though it were one with the tree she leaned back against. She saw Eona glance at her through her peripheral vision. "Wow," Kat murmured. "That was amazing."

"Thanks," Eona whispered so quietly she didn't think Kat heard her.

"That was so beautiful and extraordinary—I can't really find the words for that."

"Was it really?" Eona asked in surprise. "Thank you."

"You have such a gift. Well, you have multiple gifts. Storytelling, your dragon power, your bravery, your kindness and love and compassion…"

Eona noticed it was darker out now, that the sun was almost done setting. The lantern was on behind her, and Kat was somewhere nearby rummaging around her bag that she brought with her. When Eona turned around, in the direction of the light, her mouth dropped open. She could see Kat clearly now, the light shining off of her skin, making it look a litter tanner, with almost an orange-ish glow. The reason she could see more of Kat's skin was because Kat had stepped out of the light of the lantern and gotten changed into the same outfit Eona remembered seeing her in when they'd first met: a black sleeveless tunic, black shorts, black lace-up boots, and black lace-up fingerless gloves. All black, standing out against her pale skin, looking both delicate and dangerous at the same time.

Eona unbuttoned her tunic and Kat began to see more and more of her chest underneath. When it was all the way unbuttoned, Eona still had her arms in the sleeves, but held it open for Kat. Kat looked on in awe. Scooting a little closer to Kat, Eona gently reached out and took Kat's hand into hers. Eona's hands were slightly bigger and firmer, and Kat worried hers would be too feeble. But Eona seemed to not think so, for she placed Kat's hand on top of her breast and held it there. Kat cupped it and felt how tender and warm it was. Then Eona leaned forward and encompassed Kat in her arms, closing the space between them. Their lips touched and Eona placed one hand on the back of Kat's head as it tilted downward, toward the ground.

They lay like that for a while, kissing under the moonlight, Kat running her fingers through Eona's hair while Eona ran hers down Kat's shoulders and arms. Kat folded her arms snugly underneath Eona's chest again, her fingertips grazing lightly on her skin. She could feel Eona's sheer strength pressing down on her. When they'd finished kissing and Eona lifted her head, Kat could see the stars behind her, as if they were surrounding Eona. Neither of them spoke. They didn't need to say anything. They both knew what to do next.

Slowly and steadily they turned over and now Kat was on top. Eona let her head roll back on the grass and smiled up at Kat playfully. "You're stronger than you look," she whispered.

Kat responded with a tired but satisfied smile of her own before cradling Eona's head in her arms and kissing her like she meant it. And they both did. Somewhere in the time they'd been doing this, Kat had removed Eona's shirt, rolling her sleeves down her arms and Eona easily lifting each one out. And Eona had found the strings that held up Kat's tunic, untying them little by little until it was loose enough for Kat to shed. Eona ran her hands along the sides of Kat's torso and up and down her spine. When they let go, they breathed and panted, and Kat lay to the side, one arm still draped over Eona's chest. Eona pulled her closer, engulfing her with one strong arm while Kat nuzzled up to her chin, laying her head gingerly on her shoulder. They both rested this way for a while in silence.

"Eona?" Kat whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could show me those garden paintings sometime tomorrow back at the village?"

"Of course." Eona rubbed the back of Kat's head, warming Kat's entire body. "Of course. They're almost as beautiful as you."

Kat snorted, but said no more. Sometime in the coming minutes, they both fell asleep.


	8. A Declaration of Truth

**Chapter 8—A Declaration of Truth**

Eona was in the woods on an especially nice warm afternoon where the sun was out and all was quiet except the birds in the trees. When Eona spotted her standing near a tree with her pack of arrows strapped to her back, holding her bow down by her side, legs wide apart like she was poised ready for a battle, she approached her. Kat was wearing dark brown boots, light brown cargo pants with numerous strings and pockets, and a white long-sleeved shirt made of soft material that hugged her narrow waist and torso, while the sleeves were loose and fell lightly around her arms. It all suited her perfectly.

"You look like you're ready to defend someone," Eona said, smiling.

Kat returned the smile. "I'm ready to defend you, should I have to." She circled her arms around Eona and they both kissed. Eona leaned against her, wrapping her arms around Kat's torso, squeezing her to her with all her might—

Eona's whole world was sent spinning as she felt herself being ripped away from Kat's hold and whipped around in another direction, her head dizzy already. She was staring into the angry eyes of Ryko, both his hands gripping her arms, which would probably leave equally angry marks in their wake.

"You stupid, senseless little girl," he spat. "What do you think you're doing?"

"My name is Eona, and _that is what you will address me as!" _she yelled, resisting at him with all her might until he let go. She found herself backed up against a tree, and her hand immediately reached back for her sword strapped across her back, her fingers gripping tightly on the handle. She did not draw it out, but she was ready if she needed to. She didn't even expect him, or anyone for that matter, to bow to her or sacrifice themselves for her or to address her as 'Lady' Eona. But they'd better be respectful enough to use her real name, and not degrade her into something less than that. "Keep your hands off me. Keep your dirty paws _off of me. _How is it, that when I accidentally compel you for a few seconds and then am sorry afterwards I'm a horrible and wicked person nonetheless, but when YOU purposefully attack me you're the great honorable hero?" She was getting sick of the hypocrisies, sick of the double standards…sick of it all.

Lady Dela came rushing over, eyes wide and confused at all of the ruckus and commotion. "What is going on?"

"And YOU," Eona said, pointing at Dela with the hand she wasn't using to hold onto her sword handle, "you stand back and _let him_ attack me even though on any other occasion you pretend to be buddy-buddy with me. You're just as cowardly and treacherous as he is."

Kat said something suddenly, in her native tongue, which caused both Eona and Dela to raise their eyebrows. But Ryko just looked confused. "What did she say?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know. Whatever Kat had said, she'd said with a tone full of conviction.

"She said," Dela said, "'Eona loves the two of you more than either of you deserve. She loves too much.'" Seeing Eona's questioning look, she added, "You're not the only one who's been studying up on the language of these people."

Eona couldn't be surprised. Dela's main role during the war and her first reign as Mirror Dragoneye was translating the Woman Script in the folio. She was the one who figured out that the Mirror Dragon's name was Eona, and that that was what Eona needed to connect to her dragon. Ironically, the thing that made it possible for Eona to use her dragon's power and magic at all was the very thing that Ryko and the others didn't like about Eona herself—that she was female.

"There's no such thing as loving a person too much," Dela said, looking directly at Eona but clearly meaning it in response to Kat. "Loving someone isn't a flaw. You can't be 'too loving' as a person. Tell her that."

"I'm inclined to agree with her," Eona retorted. "I don't know why I care about you two so much, but somehow I still insist on saving his life, for him and for you, multiple times. While meanwhile, you two continue to use me to get to each other. I know you will always choose each other over me. So stop pretending like you're my protectors. You never were and never will be."

Dela began shaking her head even before Eona was finished talking. "You're wrong. And take your hand off your sword, Eona!"

Dela reached out to take Eona's hand away from her weapon, when Kat stepped forward, standing directly in front of Eona, facing Dela down. She took Dela's hand and firmly took it off Eona's, throwing it back at Dela. "No touch," she said. Eona's mouth hung open. They were Kat's first words in the Eastern language toward another person besides Eona. "No. Touch."

"How can we trust her?" Ryko asked. "We don't know anything about her. You have a strange habit of trusting the wrong people, Eona. Or at least, the most suspicious people."

"Oh, you're telling me. I trusted you and Dela as my friends, and you just turned out to be cruel, horrible, evil people. I may have masqueraded as a boy, but _you_ masqueraded as _my friends._"

"Eona!" Dela tried to step around Kat, but Kat held her arms out, blocking her from Eona, shaking her head. She would not allow either of them to get near her. Eona gently put a hand on her shoulder to let her know it was alright, that she could handle the two of them. Kat grudgingly stepped aside.

"You two have a problem with anyone who's different," said Eona. "Anyone who has power. Anyone who's physically a woman. Anyone from another part of the world. You two have a problem with anyone who's not like you."

"You know we are NOTHING like that!" Dela practically shouted. "I've been treated like scum my entire life for being a contraire. Ryko has been treated like scum because he is a Shadow man, a guard, an Islander."

"A eunuch," he said quietly.

"We've all been mistreated," Dela said. "And together, Ryko and I have been mistreated for wanting to be together. As I'm sure many will mistreat the two of you for wanting the same."

"Starting with you two?" Eona asked.

"This has nothing to do with your genders, or even where she comes from, Eona," Ryko growled. "How do you not know this? This is about how little we know about her or where she comes from or her people. We don't even know anything about her upbringing. For all we know, she could be planning an ambush on us. She could be being used as bait. She could be undercover herself—"

"You want to talk about planning and ambushing and ulterior motives? That would be YOU guys, not us! _WE_ don't know anything, but I DO!" Eona shouted. "I know she is the one person who's ever accepted me and treated me with respect. And if you don't like that, that is too bad. I dare you to try and do something about it, especially as I continually urge the two of you to be together, since _one_ of us still cares about the other at least."

"Eona—" Dela reached out slowly, but Eona slapped her hand away. Kat hissed, stepping in front of Eona again. Eona took her gently by the hand and turned. The walked off, not looking back, but both prepared to defend should they be grabbed from behind again, feeling Eona's former friends' eyes on their backs. Eona had her hand on the hilt of her sword again.

* * *

As soon as they were out of Dela and Ryko's sight, Eona began walking so fast that she stubbed her toe against a large tree root on the ground. Hard.

"Ouch," she hissed. She'd jammed it so hard it almost yanked the boot off of her foot. Cursing, she let go of Kat's hand and bent down to readjust her boot. "By the gods," she muttered, "I should know how to control my temper better by now."

"They deserved every bit of your wrath and fury," Kat said.

Eona paused and looked up, a few strands of hair falling into her eyes from her tightened bun. "Still," she said, "sometimes it's not even worth it. It only gives them more power over you. Sometimes it is best not to engage." Fixing her boot, she stood up and said, "Look Kat. Thank you so much for what you just did. But right now I think I need to be alone for a little while, alright?" It wasn't the words that stung Kat, but the tone. Eona silently berated herself. It had come out much sharper than she'd intended. "Please," she said, thinking that would soften the blow and erase the hurt from Kat's face.

Kat smiled and nodded, but Eona knew underneath it she felt dismissed. Turning and shuddering, Kat walked away, disappearing through the trees, until all that was left were small footprints where she'd been just moments ago. Eona noticed for the first time all the different colors the falling leaves around her were beginning to change. The weather was also cooler. It felt peaceful, looked beautiful. She only wished she could say her own life was as simple.

After wandering around both in the woods and in her mind, doing deep breathing and eventually forgetting about Dela and Ryko, Eona decided to head back to her cabin. When she emerged from the woods however, the first thing she noticed was Dela and Ryko, standing across the field from her cabin, staring at her. So were many other villagers nearby. They all had their mouths hanging open. Eyes wide. They looked afraid.

For a split-second Eona began to shake her head at how much she knew Dela and Ryko had probably blown the whole incident out of proportion, as usual, making Ryko out to be the victim even though he was the one who attacked Eona. And at the fact that they felt a need to go and tell people her business, as usual too. But it only lasted a split-second, for it immediately dawned on her that something else entirely was going on here. They didn't look afraid of Eona in a way that they had _done _something. They looked more afraid about something they were going to have to _tell_ her. Something she didn't want to hear at all.

Kat was nowhere in sight, and Eona got a really sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Lady Dela began walking up to Eona as though Eona were a fire-breathing dragon, and before Dela even got to her, Eona said, "Where's Kat?"

No one said anything.

"Where's Kat?" she said again in a louder, clearer, stronger voice that resonated throughout the village.

"Eona—" Dela said.

"WHERE'S KAT?" she shouted. Dela flinched. Several other villagers did the same. Dela was sure even some of the cabins had vibrated from it. "You know, the girl who saved Ryko and almost died doing it? Oh. But at this point I suppose you don't care _who_ saves you. Just as long as they do it and then you can discard them for the rest of time."

Her voice echoed all around her, projecting loud enough for even people on the opposite side of the village to hear. This explained how more and more people were quickly gathering around. Dela frowned. Ryko had his arms crossed and sighed uncomfortably, a mix of concern and disapproval on his face, like he was embarrassed for her at the moment. "Eona," Dela said. "You know that's not true."

"Isn't it?"

"Lady Eona," came an equally confident and unafraid voice. "She has been confined in the prison for our security until further notice."

Kygo appeared amongst the crowd, walking toward Eona. She raised her eyebrows incredulously. "For 'our security'? What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that it has been brought to my attention that you and her have become relations of a more personal level. Which means your credibility is, yet again, biased and thus compromised. First it was Ido, now this girl."

And the last thing she'd done was snub Kat right after she'd stood up for her against these two.

She turned her head slightly to the right, seeing Ryko and Dela, truly, for the first time. Her vision became lined and blurred with red, and something inside her snapped in half.

Eona pulled out her sword—only one sword, to make it a fair fight—and by the time she'd closed the distance between them, Ryko had his own out, blocking her every move. She swung out hard and unyielding, metal _clang!_ of their swords clashing together as she battled on. She put all her years of training and practice in, but it was still no match for Ryko. She could faintly hear shouts and yells and screams and hollers all around them. It felt like it lasted a very long time, when in reality it was only less than a minute, before she felt a semi-deep gash cut through her upper arm. She thought she heard Dela say, "Ryko!" She didn't know if a sound came out of her own mouth or not, but she was caught off guard momentarily, her gaze flying up to Ryko, who lowered his sword. That was a mistake. It was only a fraction of a second before she swung hers toward his neck, stopping right under his chin. Dela gasped. All was silent. Ryko held his chin up, jaw tight, showing no fear even though Eona had him in her trap now. She stood there, poised with Kinra's sword, staring defiantly at Ryko. She slowly moved the sword back, the pointed sharp tip still aimed in Ryko's direction, her gaze unwavering.

"I can kill you without lifting a finger," she said softly. "I can compel you off the nearest cliff, if you didn't die getting there first. I've snatched the life right out of you before—I can do it again."

Ryko disarmed her immediately with his own sword. Kinra's sword went tumbling to the ground and Eona froze, not daring to reach back for Charra's sword, not taking her eyes off Ryko. He had his sword lowered again, slightly, but not unprepared to defend should Eona strike again. "You didn't snatch the life out of me," he said. "I willingly chose to give my life for the empire. It is not something I will ever regret."

"Eona," Dela said. "Your arm." Eona could feel the warm blood flowing down her arm now but paid no attention to it. She flinched when Dela reached out to her. "It doesn't have to be this way." She beckoned Eona over. Dela's voice contradicted her face—her voice was steady and even, but her face seemed to be drained of all its blood, and her hand was quivering fiercely. "Come here," she said, having to force the words out like heavy molasses stuck in her throat. "There's no need for this Eona. You know we've been there for you since the beginning. Come here."

"No," Eona said. "He'll kill me."

"Just because it's _your _way of dealing with things doesn't mean it's _mine_," Ryko snapped, throwing his sword down. "There. Trust me now?" he spat in disgust.

"No, I'll never trust you."

"Eona, why are you doing this?" Dela asked, reaching out to her but not wanting to touch her bloody arm.

"You used to care about me when I was Eon. Now you don't. Because since Ryko started hating me, you started hating me too. You went right along with everything he ever said or did to me. If he told you to jump, you'd ask how high. He's not your lover—he is your Master."

There were several horrified gasps from the crowd, but none more horrified than Dela. Dela could not gasp, because she could barely get any sound out of her frozen, hung-open mouth. She started shaking her head, and there was something in her eyes that Eona didn't like. It wasn't anger. It was pity.

"You've changed a lot. You've become a lot more like Ryko, no matter how nice you pretended to be to me some of the time. Because when the times came for you to really stick by me, you chose not to. You chose instead to stick by Ryko. He's not only gotten inside of your head, but he's gotten inside of your body as well."

"Lady Eona!" Kygo snapped. Everybody turned toward him and stared. Everyone except Eona. She turned toward him and marched right up to him.

"Release Kat right now."

"I cannot do that." Kygo held a calm, patient expression and tone of voice, with his hands folded in front of him, as though he were conducting normal everyday business affairs.

"Release her now."

"No."

"RELEASE HER!"

She felt Dela grab her shoulder and spin her around. "Eona, please calm down. This isn't meant to cause a war."

Eona ignored Dela spun back around to Kygo. "She's all I've got."

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"You have all of us," said Kygo.

"No I don't, YOU ALL THINK I'M A MURDERER!" she shouted so loudly that her voice rang around them. There was a collective hush. Even the birds seemed to have quieted down or vacated the vicinity. "You all I think I'm a murderer. And a torturer, and a sadist, and a bad person overall. When I never tried to do anything but help people. I didn't murder those people in the village." She turned and faced Dela. "_You did_." She walked over to Dela and Ryko, slow-paced so as not to alarm them and make them think there would be another surprise fight.

"Eona, what are you doing?" Kygo asked. Without seeing him, she could still hear a slight note in Kygo's voice that was rarely there—that he was intimidated.

"I'm calling people out. It's been long overdue." She eyed Dela. "You forced me to heal Ryko when I _told _you I didn't know what my powers would do. And then when thirty-six people died…thirty-six…it's MY fault? _ALL _of my fault? Do you know what it's like going to sleep every night, thinking that you're the sole reason why thirty-six people are dead? How DARE you place that burden on me!" she thundered, her voice reaching heights she never thought possible. And without even glancing around, she could still see the horrified expressions on peoples' faces.

With each step Eona took forward, and with every word coming out of her mouth, she felt the heavy load inside her heart loosen. The timid hesitation and reluctance she possessed before became power—the power that came with telling the truth. It was in this moment that Eona realized one didn't need dragon power or healing abilities or even sword-fighting skills, to be powerful. In fact, the power to make people listen was one of the most severe and rewarding powers of all. The truth both hurt and healed. And everyone, whether they wanted to or not, would hear it.

"You're right," said Dela. "I forced you to do it." She gulped. "It was my doing." Her voice sounded like a mix between a squeaky mouse and a strangled bird in comparison to Eona's lioness roar.

"For a bunch of people who denounce me as a liar, you are some of the biggest bunch of liars I've ever witnessed," she continued in a level voice. "You build me up and treat me like some kind of savior, only to break me down and leave me standing on my own when I needed someone the most. And then you have the nerve to wonder why I don't trust any of you. And after all I've done for you." She said this all in calm confident breaths. She needn't raise her voice anymore. The truth was coming out, loud and clear. That was all that mattered. It was the easiest thing in the world—and the most rewarding—to deliver the hard facts.

"Tell me more," Ryko said, finally breaking the silence.

"Tell you more about what," Eona said.

"Tell us more about what you've done for us. Enlighten us, please. Tell us what you've done for us besides lie to us, prolong our troubles and struggles, and control other peoples' wills."

"Ryko," Dela said warningly.

"No, I'd like to know," Ryko insisted.

"Yes, it's alright," Eona agreed. It would probably be the only thing they agreed on in the next couple of minutes. But she had loads to tell them about Ryko, and for once, he would be on the receiving end of that same smug, self-satisfactory expression he always wore so proudly whenever he made a fool of Eona. What he didn't know was that two could play that game—and he'd made it painfully easy for it to fall in her hands with all of his lies and hypocrisies he'd left unaddressed almost since the beginning of their turbulent and rocky relationship. "Let's talk about control, Ryko, since you're such an expert on control. Everything you accuse me of is what you yourself are guilty of times ten. _You _are the liar and selfish one, _you _are the one who takes and controls, and _you _are the one who is much like Ido in a variety of ways." Ryko curled his lip in disgust at the comparison. "I risked my life to become a Dragoneye and you took that all away from me while falsely parading around like some kind of hero you fantasize yourself being. I gave my life for you—I _gave _you life, and all you do is take from mine. Do you not appreciate what I've done for you? I was crippled—_crippled_—" Her lip quivered and she mentally cursed herself for it. _No weakness. No weakness. _"—for this cause."

She instantly righted her lip, but not before Ryko said, "I _do _appreciate everything you've done, My Lady—"

"No, you don't," she corrected. She ignored the sad look on his face. "You've never appreciated anything. You even wanted me to give up my life so that you could know what my gender was, because THAT'S all that really mattered to you."

"That is _not _true—"

"Shut up," she said coldly. "I'm not finished yet. But since you like to talk so much, you'll get your chance, Ryko. Tell me—all those years ago when I was being starved and suffocated and beaten half to death on the salt farm—and watching others suffer that same fate—where were you? Were you the one who came and took me away from that place?" It wasn't a rhetorical question, but perhaps Ryko thought it was, because he didn't answer. "I'll answer that for you: NO, you weren't. You were busy serving an empire that allows those things to happen. Lord Heuris Brannon, my former master, is the one who took me in under his wing. _Not you. _So now you tell me: What gave you the right to expect me to place you above him? What exactly gave you the idea that you, someone I had only just met, were suddenly more important to me than someone I'd known for years who'd shared my secret and gave me a new life on the grounds of that secret? Why were you convinced that I owed you more loyalty than him? Basically what I'm asking Ryko, is _what makes you so damn special_?"

Ryko stood there, looking down at her slack-jawed with astonishment and disgust. Eona had never rendered him speechless before.

"These are tough questions to answer, aren't they?" she said quietly. "But they don't end there. No, we're just getting started. Here's another one: How am I supposed to give in to everyone's demands when you people are always pulling me in different directions? I'll tell you something that embodies irony—when you prevented Ido from getting my dragon power, I was the one to blame for imminent death. But when _I _prevented _you_ from dying, I was the one to blame for imminent death. Is there a…pattern…in that…somewhere?" She feigned confusion and disinterest, then shrugged. "I guess it doesn't matter, because at the end of the day, no matter what the circumstances are or what parts other people play, I will always be the one to blame if someone gets hurt. None of you are mature enough to take responsibility for your own actions, so I have to do that _for you_! If the sun doesn't rise tomorrow morning, I'll be to blame for that as well. And then you go and you tell everyone in your company—Dela, Momo, Kygo who forced me to compel you but apparently your forgot that part, and _Chart_—my friend, my _last friend I had_—Rilla and Chart…you went and told them that I would take his will and control him like it's my duty or something. You _completely _neglected to tell him that I never wanted this stupid power, that I hate it, that I regret hurting you every time, that it was forced onto me because _my own _choice was taken away—" She shot a death glare in Dela's direction—"but I guess it doesn't matter when it's my choice being taken away, only yours or anyone else's. It's not even about choice—when Dela wanted me to heal her, you came and practically barricaded her away from me, like I was going to go right after her, when _you know that's not what I do!_" She was talking very fast, yet enunciating every word as clear as crystal so that everyone could hear what she had to say. "You're _very _selective about how you choose to define things, depending on the situation and how it fits your agenda and how convenient it is for you. And you sure are selective about what you choose to tell people and what you keep to yourself. You know damn well more than _anyone _that I never meant to hurt you, but I guess you only meant for us to know that. Because while it is the biggest catastrophe in the world for you to be accidentally compelled for a few seconds and then have someone apologize endlessly to you for it, it's apparently okay for you to go and take away the remaining family that I have left—Chart and Rilla. They were all I had left, and you took them from me. They were there for me, all the years I was training to be a Dragoneye…and you took all of that away from me. You took those memories away from me. You took something I did for a friend and turned it into something dirty for your own benefit, so you could sit there and watch and enjoy your work. You bastard…" she whispered. "You just couldn't allow me to be close to anyone, could you. You don't trust me enough around anyone, yet you wonder why I didn't trust you, when all you kept doing was shutting me out from everybody and controlling who I could even turn to!"

"Eona, that isn't true at all," Chart said. "I'm still here. You still have me. He didn't take me away—he didn't change me or turn me against you."

"No Chart, you made your feelings about me perfectly clear a long time ago. Just like everyone else did. Eon is your savior and Eona is your curse. I understand that perfectly now. And I will _never _try to help you again. I guess all those years I spent being your friend were a joke to you."

"No they weren't!" Chart said, voice sounding like he might start to cry. Eona's eyes steered clear of his face, not wanting anything to stir up emotion in her. She'd always been so gullible, so quick, to fall for people's momentary kindness, before they struck again. She would never let it happen again. She would die before letting anyone step on her again.

Ignoring Chart, Eona pierced Ryko with a glare. "And to think. I actually used to look up to you two," she said, nodding toward Dela. "But now I know your true nature—no, I knew for a while. It's just that now I'm willing to admit it out loud—YOU betrayed ME. It has always been your duty to hurt me as much as possible because you can't stand seeing me happy. And you fulfilled it; so you must've died a happy man."

She heard Dela begin to protest and holler in outrage, but she kept going. "You _also _can't stand seeing a woman in power. It bruises your ego. You were perfectly fine with Eon, in fact, you loved him. But when Eona arrived on the scene, all your dreams and happiness and purpose in life just washed down the drains. You instantly hated me. And now you get a kick out of watching me squirm under your hatred. Even though I always accepted you straight from the beginning. You are not my friend or my ally, and if you were half the man you thought you were, you wouldn't need me to tell you all this.

"You know _nothing _about honor."

She turned and walked back over to Kygo. She dared anyone to just try and stop her. It sure was hard to assume your authority over someone even in the ever-so high position of emperor when the someone you were trying to control had more power than anyone ever had before—except maybe Katarzyna.

She looked directly in his eyes and paused, choosing her next words carefully. She had to make this perfectly and unmistakably clear. "If you're not going to appreciate or respect what I've done and what I do for you, then I will never use my dragon powers for anyone or anything again." _Yes you will, _she thought. The voice in the back of her head knew as plain as fact that despite everything she'd done over last year being a joke to her 'allies', she could not—and would not—sacrifice the innocent people in their village by withholding her powers should a deadly disaster come their way with her prior knowledge. The few good people left…the children…the animals…there was still some innocence in the world. But like Kat had told her, you just had to look for it.

Kygo's previously calm face screwed up into rage, as he did not realize Eona was manipulating him. He was unaware that she was lying, and only saying this to get him to do what she wanted—to free Kat. "You would be willing to let all of us—including yourself—die, my lady?" he spat.

"No," she said calmly. "_You _would be willing to have us all die." It was good that it was working in her favor, but it was also sad. How could he not know at this point, after all they'd been through, that they were just mere empty words coming from her mouth? She thought back to an old proverb she'd heard ever since she was a kid and applied it to Kygo. _Fool you once, shame on me. Fool you twice, shame on you. _But in this case it had been far more than twice.

Kygo clenched his fists and did not hide it. "You're a selfish woman, Eona. I know you're young and have made mistakes in the past, but I would've thought you would've cleaned yourself up by now."

Eona did not appear miffed. "You're right. I'm selfish, I'm stupid, and I'm a lot of other undesirable things. But you know what the difference is between you and I, and many other people standing here before us?" Kygo folded his arms, waiting. "At least I admit that there are things wrong with me. At least I acknowledge that I am not all that good of a person. No matter how hard I try to be. No matter what I do for you, or how many sacrifices I make for any of you. Many of the rest of you," she said, now turning toward Dela and Ryko, and glancing at various faces in the crowd. Vida…Chart. "Many of the rest of you have done selfish things too, yet refuse to own up to them. Many of you continue to act innocent when I could tell you stories about yourselves that would leave the hairs on your arms standing up. You are very selective in who you choose to persecute; but you are no better. I am not perfect, but hardly any of you are a bit closer to it yourselves." She made a sweeping gesture toward the crowd. "You come crying to me when _you_ want my powers, but you don't give a damn about me. Yet whenever _I _decide to use my powers to help someone, you get up on your thrones and start preaching about how bad I am when you've done some of the same and worse. All you supposed moral and upstanding people can finish stroking your egos and take a seat. You're not that innocent. And that," she stressed, "is the honest _truth._" She turned back to Kygo. "My ultimatum still stands. If you don't free Kat, and let us see each other as we both please, then you might as well forget about the Mirror Dragoneye. Because she doesn't exist anymore."

Turning away and walking, she didn't have to glance up to see everyone's looks. She internally marveled at their shocked gazes; mainly Ryko's and Lady Dela's. The two of them weren't so used to being called out on their wrongdoings. In fact, they'd probably never been criticized before in their entire lives. This was new for them. And it was surely something they'd never forget. In fact, they very well might just take it to the graves with them.

As Eona was walking by Ryko, he started to say something. There were a couple buckets of water on the ground that someone had brought with them from the river when they had come to see what was going on. Eona picked one up and thrust it toward Ryko, all the water splashing him in the face aggressively, drenching him from his head and to his shoulders, drips rolling off his back and his chin. Eona dropped the bucket to the ground and raised an eyebrow, as if to challenge him. _Anything else?_ Ryko wore the angriest, most shocked expression Eona had ever seen, which would make most people cower, including herself not too long ago. But right now, she looked right through it, turned on her heel, and walked.

If Ryko and the rest of them wanted a war, then a war was what they were going to get. The battle was on.

* * *

In the gazebo Eona tended to her arm as best she could, though it was admittedly difficult without a trained doctor or at least some gauze available, while gazing past the wide empty field that stretched for at least a mile or two. The sun shone down on it and lit up every blade of grass, weed, twig, and flower. Everything was still and quiet. It was like what had happened just moments previously in the village was from a different universe. She tried to keep calm and not let anything anger her again, whether it was the pain in her arm, and the pain in her heart.

As she was paying attention to a bird that had just landed on the sill to keep her breathing even, she saw a shadow enter her vision, then another. She looked up to see her mother and a doctor—in fact, the same doctor who'd tended to Kygo's wounds in the taverns during the war. She'd also met his wife once, Marietta. It all seemed so surreal now, like it came from a complete other world.

"Eona," Lillia said, "why don't you just heal yourself?"

"Because," she said. _Because I just said I would never use my powers again if Kat is not released, and I intend on keeping my word. _"It is not fatal. Therefore it is not necessary. I'm fine," she said stubbornly.

"Then at least let him help patch it up." Lillia nodded toward the doctor and he sat down next to Eona and took her arm without a word. The creases and lines in his face as he concentrated seemed to have deepened since she last saw him. It had only been about a year, yet he seemed to have aged ten. She noticed her mother seemed to have done same. Maybe, even though Eona was now seventeen, she had done so too. Especially since dragon magic tended to do that to their respective Dragoneyes quite easily.

He had brought a medical kit with him and first cleaned her wound. When he was finished wrapping it in gauze, he sighed, as if he wished there were more he could do. "My Lady," he said, "if you begin to feel any pain, or notice anything remotely strange, I would like you to tell me right away. You know where I reside."

Eona nodded. She did. He and his wife were not too far down from Kygo's cabin. Being one of the best doctors from the empire itself, she supposed it made sense to have him on hand so close by.

"It shouldn't," he added quietly. "Nothing should happen, as you seemed to have been taking good care of it before I even got here. But just in case. Do not be afraid to speak up. Ask for help. Know your limits." He stared at her hard for a moment. "It is not my place to be telling you this next part, but know your limits when it comes to emotional ties too. Marietta, and most of the rest of the village, has been very worried about you." With that, he got up and walked back through the woods toward home, his job finished.

Emotional ties? Did he mean her and Kat? But Eona was too exhausted mentally and physically at this point to care. Probably _everyone_ thought she was crazy to care about Kat that way.

Lillia, who Eona noticed had a basket with her, sat down next to Eona, settling the basket down on the other side of her. And took both of Eona's hands into hers. And looked into her eyes for a moment. Eona couldn't tell if she was ashamed of her or just worried. Then Lillia turned and opened the basket, taking out a porcelain teacup with a top on it, with a flowery design bordering the rim, and a few symbols toward the bottom of it. Eona recognized the fine delicate strokes as Woman Script. In fact, they seemed like the same kind of strokes she remembered her mother writing on the sand on the beach when she was little, her mother's arm protectively around her.

"It says 'Where there is love, there is life.' Some of the women and men and I have been boiling tea leaves and preparing quite a lot of it back at the village. You're welcome to have however much you want." She handed the cup over to Eona, gently taking the top off. Eona slowly took the cup by the handle and brought it to her mouth. It smelled good before she even drank any.

"My mother used to prepare it for me all the time," Lillia continued as Eona sipped. "It's supposed to be soothing and calming, a good thing to have on any day, any occasion…but especially after a stressful afternoon."

"Are you worried and ashamed of me?"

Lillia gaped, and it occurred to Eona that she probably hadn't expected Eona to speak so abruptly. "I am a little worried, but I'm not ashamed of you—I'm proud."

Lillia leaned in and whispered, "You may be able to fool everyone else, but you cannot fool me. I know you aren't going to withhold your dragon power if something truly disastrous happens, which it's bound to."

Eona looked into her mother's eyes for a long time, looking for any hint of doubt to the words she said. But Eona found none. Lillia was being completely genuine.

"Perhaps your delivery was harsh," Lillia went on, "but better to let it out than keep it hidden inside, raging like a dragon until one day it explodes far more violently." With that, she turned and grabbed something else from the basket. "Here. You mustn't let your appetite suffer."

It was a plate of rolls. "No thank you," Eona said. She took one look at Lillia's glare and then said, "Okay. Maybe I'll have one." She took a roll.

"Maybe you'll have one. Or maybe you'll have two or three or more," Lillia said. They sat in silence for the next ten minutes, eating away at the rolls until there were just a few left. Out of the corner of Eona's vision she saw Lady Dela talking with her father. She hadn't heard either of them enter the meadow, but they were in clear sight now.

"I am a failure. I don't know how to stand up to Ryko, even though I've always been honest with him even when we disagree. I should've been more firm about not going and telling Emperor Kygo right away about what we saw Eona and Kat doing in the forest."

"Don't feel like a failure. You are a wonderful capable young woman with great leadership qualities. I know it can be tough competing with a headstrong bodyguard and a Dragoneye, especially one that has not been seen in over 500 years. Especially one that…well, is not afraid of speaking her mind. Not anymore, anyway."

"I'm not so sure what is even _on_ her mind anymore. You know, during the war, I could guess. Or I would just approach her myself, not even afraid. And I knew she at least always had good intentions. Now I'm…not sure. I'm concerned for her, because I feel unsure about how her emotions are going to affect not only what she does, but her intentions behind it."

"Well, _you_ be sure about you. There is only so much you can do about another person. Perhaps you can let the emperor take care of the matter." He paused. "You just be sure about _you. _Because I am. And one day, you may even find someone else who appreciates your talents and your heart as much as I do. I only hope I'm around to meet him or her when you do." He smiled encouragingly.

Dela's mouth dropped. "Oh. Well, you see…that is…"

"Don't become anxious, I meant no rush," her father said. "You don't really need to find love anyway as you've already got it right here. You have me, you have your family, and you have Ryko. He's not only been a dutiful bodyguard to you, but also a good friend."

A chord struck within Eona. Ryko and Dela were in love with each other, unconditional and undeniable love, and neither of them wanted anyone else. She had always known this, but had anyone else? Eona saw Dela glance over nervously at her, seeing that Eona was watching, and immediately Eona knew: her father didn't know. Dela had never told her father about Ryko and her feelings for him. In fact, Eona didn't know if _anyone_ else knew, besides herself and Vida and Kat, Ryko and Dela's feelings for each other. The kindling fire that lay between them. Not just the beginning sparks that had begun between Eona and Kat, or once true feelings that faded over time, like with Kygo and Ido.

She noticed Ryko walking over toward them in the distance, and he and Dela's father greeted each other. If Dela hadn't been enough of a reason to leave, this was. Eona promptly got up, beckoning Lillia.

"You go right ahead," Lillia said. "I think I'm going to stay here for a while."

"Oh. Okay." Lillia had no reason to be run off by anyone. Eona didn't know why she immediately assumed she would come with her. She saw Ryko glance over at her, and she turned and walked through the field a good distance from him and Dela's prying eyes. For once, they could know what it's like to be given the cold shoulders.

* * *

Eona took one look at them and stalked off into the distance, toward the woods but away from Dela and Ryko, thus away from the path. But maybe there was another path. Or Eona probably knew these woods well enough to find her own way back to the village.

Lillia looked up, saw them, and rose. As she began to walk toward them, Ryko turned and saw Dela take a deep shaky breath. Dela looked scared. He could hardly blame her as Lillia came closer. If rage had a face, it would be Lillia right now.

"Lillia," Dela said politely. "Hello. Do you know where Eona—"

"I don't think," Lillia said, "that she wants to speak to either of you right now. And I can hardly blame her."

"Lillia," Dela said, surprised. "We just want to make some peace with her."

"Peace?" Lillia looked astounded. "_Peace_?! She has tried to make peace with you two several times, and you never wanted it. She's apologized to you, _several times,_ but you never wanted it. For things that weren't her fault, might I add. And now, you claim you want PEACE?!" she nearly shouted. "You're a cruel man, Ryko. You not only crushed her spirit, but you wrecked everything she ever worked for. She never wanted power—she just wanted friendship. People she could finally trust. People who care about her. And here you are, to take that away from her again. It's your own personal sense of victory. Now you've got her right back where you wanted. Isn't it what you always do, Ryko? Your duty?"

Dela's nostrils flared. "How dare you bring up something so important to Ryko—"

"And _you_," Lillia said, turning on Dela, pointing a long finger at her so ferociously that Dela nearly took a step back as though it were a knife. "As I understand it, you gave her a lecture about how one should always be themselves, even if others can't accept it, because it would be a shame to go through life lying to yourself. And yet, _you_ are one of those very people who couldn't accept what she was, Lady Dela. The reason Eona was afraid to tell either of you anything was _exactly because _of your unreasonable and unwarranted reactions. And then you continued to stand back and watch as your—your _man_ here—" she gestured disgustedly over at Ryko, as though to call him a man were the hardest thing she could do—"blatantly attacked and insulted her several times throughout the course of her journey. You were supposed to be her mentor, protector, and _friend_!"

Dela put her hands up, looking frightened all over again. "Lillia, calm down—"

"You told her you couldn't imagine being anyone but yourself. Well, congratulations Dela, you win first prize at having such an easy life that Eona didn't get to have." Lillia mock clapped at this, her smile so mad it bordered on psychotic. "You're right, it is hard. But she did it, and she did it for _you._ I'd like to see how long _you _would've lasted in that arena, before being discovered. I'd like to see how long _you _would've lasted before your head went rolling."

"Lillia—"

"You even told her she was wrong when she thought women had no power. But, she wasn't wrong. You both let her know that she was everything to you when she was Eon, but small and worthless when she was Eona. And you call yourself a _woman._" Dela and Ryko started protesting very loudly, but Lillia wasn't listening. "You guys were wrong about her. It was never Eona who was the problem. It was _you_."

"That's enough," Mama Momo said, stepping forward.

"Even you are part of the problem," Lillia said. "You raised this little boy to not have any manners at all."

"I know it's so easy pointing the finger at just about everyone but yourself," Mama Momo said sternly, "but surely you yourself must've had _something _to do with Eona's upbringing. Or else she wouldn't feel so alone, even after the conflicts she's had with Lady Dela and Ryko."

"I know that I am not perfect. I am no stranger to selfishness and mistakes. I sold her to a slave farm at the age of six."

Mama Momo gasped, clearly not expecting Lillia to admit such a revelation so quickly and easily. "What kind of a mother does that to her own child?!"

"A desperate one."

"Nobody is desperate enough to do that. _Nobody. _It's no wonder the girl is troubled. You set her on the wrong path straight from the beginning."

"Momo—" Ryko said.

"Eona and I are not perfect beings," Lillia continued, head up, voice firm. "But at least we admit it. Which is more than can be said for any of you_._" She turned her furious gaze back on Dela and Ryko. "Because you know what the most dangerous type of liar is?" Neither of them answered. "One who thinks they genuinely tell the truth. One who doesn't even realize they're a liar—doesn't even realize it, even as they're doing it_._"

Lillia stepped around them and walked back through the woods, the same way Eona went, leaving them there to consider those last words.

* * *

The library was not as dusty as when she'd first entered it. She remembered when she'd first entered spending hours wiping thick clumps of dust off many of the book spines and shelves, the window frames, the tables and chairs, even the paintings encased in glass hanging from the walls. Clearly this library had not been used in a very long time, probably even before the original inhabitants of the village were gone. It wasn't a very huge library, but it was rich in texts and pamphlets and artwork Eona had never seen before. Using the wooden stepstool, she took a book off the top shelf and sat down at a table with it.

Throughout the pages were pictures of girls as young as her and Kat, to women well into their fifties she suspected. There was a picture of girls all sitting together, some with arms around each other, some holding each other's hands, like they were all holding each other up. They were all connected. Another picture depicted a group of five girls from an Eastern territory she was unfamiliar with. The script beside it made that clear. There was one symbol amongst it that stood out to her though—a crescent moon. She did not know what it was meant to represent, but the girls in the picture were very different-looking from how she was used to seeing girls and women. They wore sleeveless tunics and short skirts, baring much more skin than what would be viewed as acceptable in the Celestial Empire. Things had been strict and conservative there; even having her hair down whilst speaking with Lord Ido on the beach had raised alarms in people. The only girl Eona had seen bare a lot of skin was Kat, but that was only the first day they'd met, and the day they were in the mountains. Kat, and these girls, looked gorgeous. They also appeared very confident and unafraid. Unafraid of judgment and unafraid of others' opinions. It was a refreshingly new view of girls and women that she liked, one that she wished she could've seen much earlier in her life. Perhaps she wouldn't have been nearly as scared to reveal her female identity.

She thought back to when she was Eon, and had a fleeting memory of looking through Dela's jewelry collection. While Eona had had to hide her true self, Dela could freely be her true self and even have a trustworthy bodyguard to protect her, who loved her, and whom she could use Eona to bring back basically whenever she wanted. On top of all that, she had a supportive family and the protection of the empire.

Lady Dela had it so easy.

Eona gripped the edges of the table, forcing herself to take in a deep breath. With firm determination, she stood up, leaving the open book on the table. She needed to go see the one girl who ever empowered her to be herself, the one girl she'd ever had as a friend—for that matter, the one friend she'd ever had period.

* * *

Kat couldn't remember how long she'd sat in her cell, back against the wall, eyes closed and attempting to breathe in and out to calm her nerves. She kept trying to push all sorts of things out of mind—the _drip drip _sound of water from the ceiling, the fact that Ido was trying to talk to her, or taunt her, from the cell beside her...she did her best to tune him out. But the thing that she kept pushing the farthest away from her mind was the Emperor walking up to her when she'd left the woods, with a look on his face only one could have when something bad was about to happen. Many of the nearby villagers had been looking at her, apparently realizing something was about to happen too. She'd seen, out of the corner of her eye, Ryko and Dela looking on worriedly too, and at that moment, she knew two things: They had something to do with what was about to happen, which was Kygo forcibly taking her arm and leading her to the prison. She knew she would've been literally dragged and gotten scrapes and burns from the ground if she didn't walk with him. And, that she wanted Eona there. She wanted her there with her more than anything. She knew Eona would protect her. And later in that day, she heard all sorts of shouting coming from Eona. She didn't know what she was saying, but she knew she'd found out what had happened. And though a warm place in her heart could be felt from Eona's fury at what they'd done to Kat, a bigger feeling of fear eclipsed it. For she didn't know if even the Mirror Dragoneye herself could overthrow her emperor and the entire village just for Kat.

Just as she was getting lost in unhelpful thoughts of kittens and sunshine, she heard the front prison door loudly open. A burst of light briefly flooded the room before it slammed shut. With a jolt, she saw Ryko take two steps before he was at her cell. The guard outside undid the latch, sliding her door open…letting him in.

With another jolt she saw Ido's gaunt face pressed up against the bars of his cell, staring down at her. Smiling. Kat inched away for a second—_screw it—_before jumping up altogether, backing up into the corner, willing herself to disappear. If she stayed still enough, maybe she could blend into the shadows. _I'm going crazy_, she thought. _Is this what happened to Ido? Being in captivity for too long made him go insane?_

Ryko walked toward her, step by step. In his hands, he held a slat of wood on each side, that was used as a tray with a bowl atop. Steam rose from the bowl, and Kat's stomach growled at the delicious scent. He stopped a couple inches from her, looking down, holding the tray out, expressionless. The emperor must've ordered him to deliver her food, maybe in the attempts to bring peace among them. It was a futile attempt.

As much as she wish she could yank it out of his hands and throw it against the wall—or at him—she didn't. It would be a terrible waste of good food. Instead, she took the tray carefully, bent over to set it down on the ground, and immediately stood back up and started pounding him with her fists, hitting him on the face as hard as she could, but it only lasted about a second. Ryko, towering over her, caught hold of both her fists, small and weak and useless against him, and held her back as she glared up at him. He could easily kill her with his bare hands, but he just shoved her back, Kat stumbling on her feet slightly. She started screaming at him, knowing he wouldn't understand anything.

"Why do you hurt Eona so much? All she ever did was sacrifice her life to save you, and all you do is hate her. If you didn't want to be her friend anymore, for whatever reason, then _fine_, but why do you continue to kick someone down who isn't even fighting back? You are more than lucky it is not me he has the power to compel, because _I_ would've done so without ever being sorry a bit!"

Whatever she said must've been bad, for Ryko heard Ido in the next cage over let out a low whistle. "Be glad _she_ can't compel us," he said humorlessly.

"You know what she said? You know her language?"

"Some of it. And if you knew, you might not be able to sleep at night."

Kat watched as Ryko and Ido exchanged a few words. Then she started again. "When the EMPEROR made her compel you, whom you hold no responsibility for of course, she cried for you—cried for _you_—because of what she was forced to do. I saw it in her memories. She truly does care about you. And you just don't care about her. At all." Kat was panting, seeing red everywhere, knowing in the back of her mind that Ryko didn't understand a word she was saying, nor did she think he would've cared if he had. She also realized, cringingly, that she had no business putting Eona's business out there. But somehow, she thought Ryko ought to know. And yelling at him like this let out a lot of frustration and anxiety that had built up in her for a long period.

Ido glanced wide-eyed at Ryko. "You made Lady Eona cry? How sickly. Even I haven't done that."

Ryko looked taken aback for a second, but instantly recovered. "You make everyone sick."

"She said she 'saw it in her memories'." Ido then went on almost a full five minutes-worth of a breakdown on the things Kat allegedly knew about Ryko and Eona's past. "Well? Either Eona told her herself, or I suppose that means she can see peoples' memories." Ido put a hand to his chin for one moment, as if deep in thought. "It's not a bad idea for a power, quite frankly. It could really serve a great purpose."

"That is highly abusive of you," Ryko scolded her, also knowing full well that Kat wouldn't know what he was saying. "A total abuse of power. An utter invasion of privacy."

"If you expect me to sit here all day and translate everything the two of you say to each other, you'll be very disappointed," Ido said. "Why don't you both agree that you each care about Lady Eona in your own ways, even though you're both screw-ups in your own ways too." Ido pointed a long bony finger at Ryko. "Also, it's a little big of you to suddenly be talking about keeping peoples' secrets and the importance of 'privacy'. I didn't think privacy was even a thing for you, Ryko, a word in your vocabulary. You sure made the Lady's business everyone else's business after finding out she'd lied to you, never stopping to think that perhaps she had a thorough, concrete reason for it."

Ryko had had enough. He turned and walked out without saying a word. To which Ido seemed to gain a personal sense of triumph.

A few seconds later, Eona walked in. That meant that she and Ryko must've passed each other on his way out. Kat could not imagine what kind of awkwardness there must have been. They probably hadn't even glanced at each other, tip-toeing around each other like they were on non-sturdy ice.

Kat jumped up. "Eona—"

"Are they treating you well?" Eona asked abruptly. She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around Kat as Kat leaned her head in on her shoulder, Eona gently stroking her hair. Neither cared if the guards were looking. After about a minute, she felt Eona whispered in her ear, "I'm surprised I'm even allowed in without having to put up a fight. How are you?" Eona thought she looked okay, but that didn't guarantee anything.

"They're treating me alright," Kat said. She lifted her head back to face Eona, despite wanting to stay on her shoulder forever. "They at least like me better than Ido."

Eona still had her arms safely around her. She glanced around the small chamber, scowling at the stacks of hay and the occasional beetle crawling up the wall. And the little bit of light filtering in through the small high window, much too high for Kat to reach up to. "How are you supposed to sleep in here?"

"I'll manage. It's alright."

"No…no it's not." Eona had that same quiet but determined voice. She was a quiet kind of brave. Perhaps that was why people were so surprised when she dropped the truth on them. She put a hand to Kat's face, staring intently at her. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"Don't do anything that's going to get you hurt or in trouble."

"I'm already hurt and in trouble. It's not even you they have a problem with—they're doing this because of _me_. They hate me." Eona paused. "They hate anyone they feel the least bit threatened by. And they are threatened by anything that is different."

"But you're so…normal," Kat said.

Eona shook her head. "You don't understand. For hundreds of years, it has always been men who had the power. All of the power. Royal power. Dragon power. Fighting power." She bit her lip. "Now, 500 years later, a scrawny little seventeen-year old girl has power that matches all of that. And it terrifies them."

"And I am an outsider," Kat said slowly. "Who also has a rare power."

"A monumental power," Eona agreed. "And we…are together. They can't handle it."

Speaking of dropping the truth on people, Kat said, "Some people cannot handle the truth in general. They want the truth, but when you give it to them, even as delicately as possible, they cannot handle it. Or they continue to deny it—their eyes see only what they want to see."

"I would be a fool not to agree with that." Eona sighed and maneuvered so that she was leaning back against the wall, next to Kat. They sat together in silence for a few more minutes.

A sly smile formed on Kat's face. "Is it true you threw a bucket of urine on him?"

"What? No, it was a bucket of water. And how do you know about this?"

"Oh." Kat knew the disappointment in her voice was audible. "I heard some guard say something, and I thought it translated to 'urine'. Must've just meant water."

"Why? Would you like me to have used urine instead?"

"Well…it wouldn't have been as much of a waste. People need water to drink. But people don't drink piss." She paused. "Except for maybe Ryko and Lady Dela."

She didn't have to turn to know Eona was grinning beside her. She could hear the smile in her voice. "Well I'm glad you still have your dirty sense of humor. No one can ever take that away from you."

"I can't believe he claims that you've changed when you're the same as you've ever been."

"Yes, well, he would also claim you have no idea what you're talking about, due to him having actually been there with me through it all and all you saw was through a foggy lens of memories. Albeit biased memories, as all of ours are, but my memories nonetheless."

"Your recollection of events seems right to me," Kat said matter-of-factly. "And even if he feels different, that still gives him no right to treat you the way he does. If he was ever truly concerned about you, he would've spoken to you himself—not shut you out. That is not how friendship works. In fact, it's one of the quickest ways to make an enemy."

She felt Eona turned towards her. "I mean it when I say I'm getting you out of here. I'll do anything I have to."

She turned and saw the brave determination in Eona's narrow eyes. Eona's mind was made up, and when her mind was made up, no one could change it. "About that…" Kat said.

Eona nodded for her to continue.

"I was thinking…" She glanced over worriedly at Ido, who was asleep in the far corner of his own chamber. But she couldn't be sure if was really sleeping or just pretending. She could not risk him hearing what she was about to say to Eona next. So she leaned into her ear and whispered, "I think we should run away. Run away from here for good. Just you and me."

Eona's eyes widened momentarily before she went back to normal, covering up her shock. "Really?"

"That is, if you're able to get me out of here." She glanced over in Ido's direction again. "Careful. He knows how to speak my language. If he hears…"

But Eona was already mindful of the guards outside the door. For some reason, even though it was clear they didn't know what they two girls were saying, she still felt the need to keep their conversation private anyway, as though they could simply read their minds. Then she thought of something. "Could we bring my mother too?"

Kat was taken aback momentarily. "Uh, sure. Of course you can. You don't need my permission…I just thought you two weren't that close."

"We're not. But…I don't know." Eona bit her lip and turned away, looking doubtful. She was usually so sure about everything. "I…she's my mother. I know what she did to me was terrible, but she's my mother." It was all she could say. And Kat knew completely what she meant. For even though her own mother had betrayed Eona at one point, she still remembered her holding her in her arms or taking her for walks or playing with her. Laughing and hugging. The way parents and their children should be. Every now and then, she'd find strong patches of love inside of her for her mother—and for the rest of them too. Even in the midst of all the hurt, sadness, pain, and anger.

Eona quickly went through a shorter, more concise version of what she'd said to Ryko and Dela and the rest of the village earlier.

"Remember all of those gifts I told you you had?" Kat asked.

"Yes," Eona said. "You probably gave me much more than I deserved."

"You deserve every single one of them. And I wanted to add one right now. I want to add forgiveness to your list of qualities."

"Forgiveness?"

"Yes. I can tell, deep down, that you still care about the people you just verbally obliterated. I can tell that you're not really going to hold back on using your dragon power if or when another natural disaster threatens us. You never let any of the fame and popularity get to your head like some people would. You're like just another girl, just another citizen. Just another person. People can approach you without being scared of what they're supposed to say, how they're supposed to bow."

"I'm not sure if that will still be the case after today," Eona muttered.

"I'm sure it will," Kat said calmly. She looked down, as if thinking of something else now. "If you get me out of here—"

"When," Eona corrected. "_When_ I get you out of here."

"Can I still see those paintings in the library? The ones of the gardens that you were telling me about yesterday?"

Eona placed a hand on Kat's shoulder. "Of course I will. You'll get to see them soon enough, and much, much more."


	9. You Can't Save Everyone

**Chapter 9****—You Can't Save Everybody**

Lillia sat in her usual place on the boulder under the tree that was closest to Eona's cabin. The prison, the next closest thing after Kygo's cabin, seemed small and far in comparison to the trees near her, and the other cabins of the village were like dots. She knew there was about to be a bustle of activity in the village soon, with people walking about and doing their normal daily chores. For right now though, all she could hear were crickets. It was as though the edge of the forest where she sat was a completely separate world from the village, as though she were looking at it in a book. For now, she watched as her daughter trekked across the grass from her cabin to the prison, even though it wasn't a long journey at all. But she knew that for Eona, anything was too far when the one person you loved and trusted was wrongly locked up.

She watched Eona go through the prison. Kygo was outside with a couple of guards to surveillance the area and quietly discussing matters. Then almost as soon as Eona had gone in, she came right back out, and though it wasn't clear from here, Lillia could just tell from her movements and body gestures that something was clearly wrong.

* * *

When Eona entered the prison, not only were Ido and Kat's cages empty, but the doors were completely ripped off the hinges. The small barred windows on the wall of each cage look perfectly intact. There was nothing in sight, no cloth or blood, which Eona tried to tell her now rapidly beating heart was a good thing.

Swiftly turning on her heel, she rushed out of the prison and stormed up to Kygo. "Where are they?" she asked in a voice that took much effort to keep down.

"What are you talking about?"

"Kat and Ido, they're gone, _where are they_?" Irate at her own oncoming hysteria, Eona forced her eyes shut and took the deepest breath she'd ever taken.

"What in the names of all the gods are you talking about, Lady Eona?! They are in there! I checked on them last night!"

"NO, they're not. Go and see for yourself."

Eyes wide, Kygo stomped into the prison and it only was a second before Eona saw him emerge out again. But by then, she was already desperate for answers from someone, anyone. Someone must've seen what happened and when.

"Where are Kat and Ido?" she asked a woman, the first person she came into contact with.

"The prisoners? I, uh, I don't know!" She looked terrified at being this close to Eona, as though afraid of what Eona was going to do to her. Eona was still getting used to the newfound status of being a Dragoneye. She had to remind herself to be calm.

"Excuse me, you two, did you notice _any _strange, bizarre, or questionable behavior around here last night? Did you hear anything? Around the prison?"

The two men gawked at her, clearly having never been spoken to before by someone in her position. One of them started to back away.

"Please!" she said, reaching out for his arm. "I need your help. We all do. Ido might be out there running free right now, and we are all in danger if he is!"

The young man started stammering. "I, I, I don't know—father—?"

"I haven't heard or seen anything," the other, older man said, trying his hardest not to start panicking himself. "We know nothing. I am sorry, my Lady." He bowed.

She wanted to tell him to get up, that he didn't have to bow, that now was not the time for any such formalities. She wanted everyone to start looking. But she herself was in such a panicked frenzy, that she turned and walked right into someone, slamming headfirst into a rock-hard chest. When she looked up, it was Ryko.

"Where are Ido and Kat? They're gone. Is anybody else missing?"

"My Lady, please calm down," he said, though he didn't sound very calm himself. Dela appeared right beside him.

"We don't know, Eona! But as far as we know, no one else is missing. The news is spreading across the village."

Eona noticed more and more people coming out of their cabins and gathering near the middle of the village, chattering in hushed voices.

A million questions were running through her mind. How was this possible? It didn't make sense, them being able to escape—she refused to believe someone had broken into the prison—without anyone noticing, and past the guards no less. And Kat would not just leave like this without telling her.

A cold dread washed over Eona, the dread that she'd been trying to keep at bay since she'd seen the empty cells.

Whatever had happened, Kat had been kidnapped. She wouldn't willingly leave with Ido. Did she leave with someone else? Did Ido use the opportunity to break free too?

She wanted to scream, but swallowed it back down, not wanting to cause more of frenzy than there already was. She willed herself to remain calm in this troubled time.

* * *

"There will be three groups," Kygo announced. "The first one will be led by Ryko. Ryko, you will lead your group up north to the mountains." Ryko stood by his group of men and Dela, determined and ready to go. "Tozay, you will lead your group to the south," Kygo continued. "And finally Eona, you will take your group—your soldiers and Lillia—further to the west, into the forests and woods. I will stay here with the citizens. Any questions, concerns, or objections?"

Eona had gone tense all over. She had an objection but held off on voicing it. What was Kygo doing? Lillia should be staying here with the rest of the villagers. She imagined all eyes were on her, but when she glanced up, they were still concentrated on Kygo. She waited for someone to make an objection. A sideways glance toward Lillia showed her nothing more than a grim-faced but determined woman. Lillia looked like a soldier. Eona almost reached over to touch her, but she dared not. She then glanced over to Ryko, waiting for him to jump up and start throwing wild accusations in her direction. It was what he did, wasn't it? She was surprised when she found him only focused on Kygo, still kneeled on the ground.

"Then it is all set," Kygo said. "You may go."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Eona's voice was so sudden Kygo's hand almost flew to his chest. He turned and saw her standing in the entrance to his cabin, just as she was getting ready to leave and set forth on their journey.

"Lady Eona," he said. "You mustn't sneak up on people like that. It not only is rude, but we are all a little jumpy at the moment, if you cannot already tell."

"Do not send Lil—my mother—with me."

"But why not?" Kygo's eyes narrowed. "Lady Eona, this is not the time for petty manners—"

"That's not what this is," she said. "It's that if something happens to her, it will be my fault." _And I refuse to take more responsibility for anyone else's actions._ "I can take care of myself. I can protect myself."

"It would not be your fault—"

"Isn't it always?"

Kygo swallowed back the shouting he wanted to start doing, took a deep breath, and continued, "And you cannot take care of yourself. It's not that you're incapable. It's that this is a dangerous mission and we do not know what we're getting ourselves into. This is not at all like the resistance, Lady Eona—rather much worse."

"I'm fully aware of that, which is why I think it's a bad idea to send her with me. This is for trained soldiers, and people who know how to defend themselves. People who have been in battle before."

"Eona." Eona turned and saw Lillia standing in the doorway, a forlorn look on her face. Eona hoped she didn't feel like she was betraying her.

Kygo glanced between both of them and nodded, seeming to take a hint. "I'll leave you ladies to yourselves." He walked out, with posture that said he was done here, resigned.

As he passed by Lillia, she walked over to Eona, as if it were her cue to start speaking about what was strictly between them. "Eona," she said. "The reason I'm coming with you is because you need someone, not to protect you from physical forces, but from emotional ones. From yourself."

"Myself?"

"You love this girl. You said yourself she's all you have left. You poured your heart into her." Lillia stood face to face with her daughter, only about an inch away from her. "And you have to know that there is a strong possibility that she is dead."

Eona knew this from the moment she found Kat's cell empty, but the word still made her stomach churn. How many people did she have to watch die? Dolana, Brannon, Ryko…though admittedly her friendship with him was dead long before. Brannon had betrayed her. And anything between her and her mother had barely even started.

"I know that," she finally said. She opened her mouth as if to say more. She wanted to say something else, anything, but no words came. Lillia was patient, as if knowing there was nothing that _could _be said.

She put a hand on Eona's shoulder. "I want you to know that if that happens, I will be here for you. Even if you don't want me here. Because you're going to need someone to help carry that kind of weight."

* * *

They road slowly and silently through the woods, heavy with shrubbery and trees. The deeper they got, the thicker it became, eventually blocking out most of the sunlight and keeping them cool. It was a little unnerving; they had no idea what lay beyond these woods, or _in _these woods. They'd never been this far west before.

At one point Eona's horse stopped short and whined loudly, almost throwing Eona and Lillia off its back. Lillia gasped, gripping her arms tighter around Eona's waist. Eona murmured, "That's never happened before." When she glanced toward the ground, she saw what had alarmed the horse—a group of skeletons, still covered in brown rags and cloth, lay huddled in clear view near a bush. They looked as though someone had arranged them neatly next to each other. As though someone had planned them that way after they'd died.

"Keep moving," Eona said grimly, calming the horse down, and before long, the entire group was headed on their way again, seeming to forget about the skeletons. Or at the very least, pushing them to the backs of their minds.

At sunset, when they'd decided to settle down for the evening, Eona discussed their plan for the night with a couple other soldiers. She'd insisted on staying up on guard in case anyone should approach them, but they'd argued that she needed to rest. "My Lady," one of them said, "you look exhausted. You led most of the way today. We've made much progress, but still have so much more to go. Please, let us keep watch for the night. There are plenty of us to fill up the borders around us." Eona glanced around, seeing people already getting to work putting up the tents, making sure they were close enough together to keep everyone in close proximity.

"He's right, My Lady," said another soldier. "Take this time to rest, for tomorrow will be another long strenuous day." He did not sound moody. Just the same as everyone else—they'd traveled far.

She spent the evening helping to set up tents and prepare food. Eona had wondered all day if any of them were angry to be going on this mission in the first place. Was Kat really all that much of a concern to them? Sure there was also Ido, and Kygo did say that them missing or getting kidnapped could lead to their discovery, but deep down everyone knew she was doing this mostly for Kat. She'd made that perfectly clear the day before. Ido still remained a mystery—when had he not?—about where he came from and how he came back in the first place.

Lillia peered out of the tent once night had fallen, watching Eona stand near the top of a hill that sloped down to their encampment. Under the moonlight, her daughter almost looked like she had when she was younger. Curiously gazing up at the stars, gazing at her surroundings, wondering about everything. Deep in thought. Not yet aware of how dangerous, cruel, and barbaric the world really was. Her outline stood still there for a long time, almost long enough to convince Lillia she was a statue. And the only hint of Eona's age was the stiff stern posture she had, clearly not nearly as comfortable as she once had been. More aware, now, of how the world outside of their safe sandy beach was. She was no longer a little girl. Her youth and innocence were forever gone.

When they woke up the following morning, an eerie sight met them.

All of the men who'd accompanied them on their mission were gone.

The horses were gone too. All of their supplies, food, blankets…gone.

"Did they move on without us?" Lillia asked, appearing beside her. Eona had crawled out of the tent, stood up slowly, and took a few steps forward, looking at the wide open space in front of her that they'd settled in just last night. She stood still, her eyes the only part of her body moving around the vicinity, suspicious.

"I doubt it," she said. All was silent. There was no wind. No birds. Even her breathing was quiet.

Suddenly Eona's foot hit something and she had the piercing urge to fly back. Her head shot up just as a giant net came hurdling down from the tree and enclosed around her. She heard Lillia shriek and when she awkwardly turned around, the ropes of the net digging into her skin and keeping her crouched to the ground, she saw three people surrounding Lillia, one of them throwing a cloth bag over her head.

The next thing Eona remembered was something hard hitting her head and all went black.

* * *

Eona and Lillia awoke in a small room with barely any light, save for the light coming through the small barred window at the top of the door. The walls were about four feet in length, but while the room was small, it was also very tall. The ceiling went up about fifteen feet. Eona could tell this from glancing toward the ground. She was high enough in the air to practically reach out and touch the ceiling because her and Lillia were sitting side by side on a slat of wood that lay precariously and unsteadily by two sets of rope tied to hooks on the ceiling. She knew it could break any minute. Not to mention there was barely enough room _to _sit on that slat of wood, her feet and lower legs dangling over the edge of it. They could fall any minute.

The thing that made it particularly troublesome was the fact that each of them had a noose tied around their necks.

Luckily Eona's hands were free. She quickly untied hers, then gently reached over to her mother's and slid it right off—it didn't even need untying. After both of their necks were free, Eona took a deep shuddering breath. Who knew what would've happened if they'd stayed unconscious any longer.

Eona nudged her mother and gently shook her awake. "Mother. Mother!" she whispered. "Wake up."

Lillia awoke with a jolt, Eona catching her before she could fall off their unsteady surface. Alarmed, Lillia glanced around at their cramped surroundings. "By the gods," she said, "where _are _we?"

The door to the room burst open, and brightness blinded them. Now that the nooses were off and the light fell across their bodies, Eona could see that she was not wearing the clothes she'd left in. Rather, she was wearing a long dress that fell past her ankles, with long sleeves that fell well past her wrists. It was a washed-out brown color. Her swords were also gone.

In the doorframe stood a tall man with long blonde hair and a long narrow face. His eyes were narrowed but the corners of his lips were turned up, as though he had a permanent vile smile on his face. "Welcome ladies." He took a step in, gesturing up toward them. "I see you've rested well. And that you've also disabled the death devices. Very clever, or perhaps just lucky."

"Who are you?" Eona demanded.

"I serve for Lord Ido. Lord Ido has told me many things about you, Lady Eona. He's told me that you are a woman of endless bravery. Of sheer willpower. He also says that you are quite skilled in the sheets."

Eona pushed off from the surface and jumped down, landing in a crouched position on her feet. "Eona!" Lillia cried. Eona took a flying swing at the man, but he caught her arm. She kicked out, aiming for his groin, and he shoved her back.

"I wouldn't try any of that if I were you," he said calmly. This only furthered Eona's irritation.

"Where are my swords? What have you done with our soldiers? What is this—"

He placed a large hand over her face and pushed her back against the wall once more. His own face still wore fairly the same expression it had as he walked in. It was like he were a machine rather than a human being. "All will be answered in due time. Until then, you will be kept in captivity here and I advise you strongly to think about this weakness of yours, Eona. This weakness of impulsiveness that seems to overtake you so easily. For Lord Ido will seek it out as soon as I hand you over to him in a couple days' time."

Eona's hand almost got caught in the slammed door. She tried pushing and banging against it, but his weight was obviously holding it in place until she heard a _click_ of the lock. She looked up and saw his eyes through the bars. "You're wasting your energy, my Lady." Then he was gone.

Kicking at the wall in rage, Eona turned back to Lillia, who'd now jumped down from the wood herself, and who looked grim and sullen. "We'll just have to try to come up with something," Lillia said, in an infuriatingly calm manner. "But, we can't do so unless we settle down and try to think with a clear mind."

Eona exhaled slowly and sat down next to her mother. She knew she was right. Kicking walls would do no good, and if they had any chance at all, they needed to think rationally. They were not being bothered now. Now was the time to think.

Diving into the energy world, Eona saw the dragons each in their places, seeming to be at peace. Even the Rat Dragon seemed to be normal, though Eona had no idea what Ido must've been doing with it. Up in the energy world, she could see herself and her mother down below, two little dots inside the prison cell where they were locked up. She saw several other dots nearby, which alarmingly meant there were many people there, probably more of Ido's soldiers. She saw no storm systems nearby that she could feasibly move in on them that would be powerful enough to destroy the structure they were trapped in. But even if there had been, was it a risk she was willing to take? If she used her power without blocking the other dragons, would they come in and cause a great catastrophe just like they did at the fisher village? How many innocent lives were around that it could potentially take?

About two hours later, with no decision at all and barely still awake, Eona heard the door open and in came a young-looking boy, about her age. Tall and thin, long and lean with hair that went down his back, he wheeled in a cart with two steaming bowls on it. The aroma sailed through Eona's nostrils like a welcoming friend. When he handed them each a bowl, she tried to get a glimpse of his ice blue eyes but he did not look at either of them. He was miserable and did not want to be there any more than they did. He did not have that same arrogant haughty air to him that the blonde man before did.

When Lillia received her bowl, she did something that was completely uncharacteristic of her. As soon as she took the bowl, she threw it at him, causing him to jump back in alarm at all the burning water that was likely scalding his skin through the thin fabric of his clothes. Broth splashed everywhere. Eona gasped, but it was drowned out by the sharp shattering of the bowl.

Sure that he would retaliate, Eona braced herself. But all he did was keep his head down and walk out quickly. He didn't say anything. Didn't even look in their direction. Did not glance up once.

She still had her soup, warm and steamy, in her hands. Lillia was still huffing, looking at the wall with a reddened face, staring at the mark the broken bits of bowl made. Eona slowly passed her bowl over to her mother. "Would you like to share mine?"

"Eona, you don't know if they laced it with anything?"

"So are we to starve? We haven't had anything in a long time. I have a feeling they won't be giving us much more after this. At this rate, we will die anyway." Those last words hit her in the stomach—had she really just said them? Death was always a close possibility in her life, but she'd opted not to talk about it often, or even acknowledge.

Lillia stared at her for a moment, as if a little surprised to hear her daughter say those words as well, but then she sighed and nodded. "I supposed you're right," she said quietly. "You always were a survivor, Eona. I never really gave you the choice of a safe and secure life."

"How about I take the first sip, to make sure it's not poisoned with anything," Eona said.

"No." Her hollow words rang against the walls as Lillia put one hand on Eona's wrist to stop her, and the other on the bowl. "Let me. I've already put you through too much. And you are the Mirror Dragoneye—you still have duties to fulfill."

Eona could not argue with that. Reluctantly, she loosened her grip and let Lillia take the bowl, raising it to her lips and sipping it slowly. "This is quite good," she whispered. She insisted Eona didn't try any though until they waited at least a few minutes. Nothing happened to Lillia, so she decided it was safe enough for Eona to consume as well. A heavy feeling of guilt rested on the bottom of Eona's stomach that made even this appetizing soup a little less appealing; their enemies likely wouldn't kill her, as like Lillia said, she was the Mirror Dragoneye. Ido wanted her. Ido wanted her powers. He needed to keep her alive. But what use would they have with Lillia? If anything, Lillia did good by smashing that bowl to pieces. For all she knew, they might have spiked Lillia's bowl and not Eona's, though it would be stupid since they could've just switched bowls.

Footsteps sounded outside and she heard muffled voices. She could not make out what they were saying, though she figured out they were two men. No, a man and a boy. The man had a deep authoritative voice and the boy sounded scared and quiet and obedient.

Now they were standing right outside their door, and through the bars Eona could hear them clearly. Lillia and her both recoiled as far back as they could into the shadows and against the wall, holding each other. They held their breath. Eona stared at the small rectangular window with bars, sleepy but alert, expecting to see someone's eyes and face pass over it any minute.

"I think you should let the women out," the boy was saying.

"Not until Lady Eona decides to cooperate and heed to my orders, and follow Lord Ido and his cause."

Eona sucked in a breath. _Never_, she thought.

"At least let them stay in the kitchen. That will be a bigger space with light, and maybe they'll be able to think more."

"Are you requesting this, Dimitri, because you are tired of serving them food, and tired of having to make more than one trip from kitchen to prison cell?"

She could hear the hesitation in Dimitri's voice. "I—I am not requesting anything, Master—"

"_Good_. Because you are in no position to do so. You are working for _me_ here, and I don't want to hear any more of your ridiculous suggestions."

The door burst open, and as soon as it did, Eona did not wait to see who it was. She grabbed her mother's wrist and dashed straight through, hearing an angry gasp somewhere along the way. She pulled Lillia and dashed straight down the first direction she saw, a narrow corridor to her right. She saw a blur of light-colored hair pass by her, and it was that boy, mouth hanging open, standing and staring, holding a plate to his chest, as they raced by. Unfortunately the corridor led to a dead end with no room on either side. Why would they have a long corridor if it served no purpose? Maybe they really were trying to trick potentially escaped prisoners.

She felt great giant hands clamp down on her shoulders and whip her around, cold angry blue eyes only an inch away. "You little scoundrel! Where is your honor? You know nothing about where your place is here. I serve you food and I keep you in a warm environment and I give you this nice dress to wear—" He tugged so hard at the hem of Eona's dress that she almost slid off her feet, surprised he hadn't ripped it. "I even let your blatant abuse to my servant go unpunished. Why I ought to—" He raised his arm, thick and bulky, ready to drop down on her.

"Master!" the boy shouted, the first time Eona had ever heard him raise his voice.

The man grudgingly lowered his arm. "It is only for Lord Ido. Only for Lord Ido am I being merciful. If it were my way, I'd have you cooked up right about now, and you'd never dare defy me _again._" Eona shuddered. She couldn't help it.

He took both her and Lillia by the shoulders and steered them in the opposite direction, down the adjacent corridor to the left of the prison room. Down there, unlike the other corridor, were rooms. Multiple rooms. The one he thrust them both in before slamming the door shut on Eona's face was bigger and warmer, with an oven and sink in the corner. A kitchen. The door was similar to the prison room door. The cold eyes of the blond man glaring at her through the barred window was the last thing she saw.

She and Lillia glanced at each other and then gazed around the room. It was a small room made even smaller by all of the items that crowded it. There was the oven and sink in the corner, along with multiple cabinets along the walls, crates, a small table with chairs, and a folding screen in the back opposite corner from the sink and oven. It was as though someone used this room as a kitchen, dining area, and bedroom all at once. There were also a few lit candles providing some light atop of the crates and table.

Inside the small room there was a chest full of clothing. She found a pair of pants that surprisingly fit her well. She put them on under the dress and rummaged around some more, finding a short-sleeved tunic. She tore the dress off and put the tunic on when she heard a cough behind her. Lillia was standing in front of her. Eona glanced up and saw her mother staring behind her, eyes alight with alarm and confusion.

Eona turned around and saw a young boy—perhaps eight or nine—with bright hair and freckles, staring up at both of them. He turned his gaze to the ground. Eona glanced once again awkwardly at Lillia, then back at him. "Hello. What is your name?"

"L-Liam," he said so quietly she had to lean closer to hear him.

"Liam." She observed his orange-ish red hair, fair skin, and freckles. She remembered Kat talking about having a brother—what was his name again?—but she had figured it was an older brother. Still, she decided to ask, "Do you by any chance have a sister? Named Kat?"

"No," he said. She could tell he was confused as to why she was asking that question.

She shook her head. "Never mind then."

He looked down to the ground, wearing the same sad, scared expression.

Eona cautiously knelt down, making sure not to get close enough to scare him. He didn't back away. "Liam?" she said. He slowly looked up. Not at her though. His head rose, but his eyes were on a cracked spot on the far wall. "I'm—I'm not going to hurt you. Um…where is your family?"

It was so long before he answered that Eona had already figured he wouldn't talk to her anymore before he said, "They're gone." He still didn't look at her.

She wanted to move closer, to put a hand on his shoulder, but she stayed at a more comfortable distance. "Gone?"

"Yes. Th-they were taken by them." He pointed at the door. "They didn't want to do what they said, so they…those guys, they hurt them. I don't know how. I just heard screaming, and then I never saw them again. No one will tell me what happened."

Eona glanced up at Lillia, who's eyes were wide, and then back at Liam. He was looking at the ground again. She didn't want to get too close, but she gently lifted her arm and reached a hand out. "And you've been in here ever since?" she asked softly.

"Yes. They make me do all this work. Sometimes it burns my hands." She glanced down and saw that his hands did in fact have many deep scars on them, running the lengths of his tiny fingers and wrists. Biting her lip, she looked back up at him, surprised to see that he was now watching her wearily too.

"I will get you out of here," she said.

She heard Lillia gasp, and even Liam showed a spark of hope in his eyes now. "You will? How?"

Eona bit her lip harder. "I'm not exactly sure yet," she admitted, "but my mother and I are going to get out of here somehow, and we can take you with us." She glanced back at Lillia, but not to ask permission. The firm tone in her voice was very clear.

Lillia nodded in agreement. "It's…a terrible thing to make a child work like this." She was looking at the ground now herself, caught in a different lifetime, a memory of the shameful thing she had done to her own child. She glanced up knowingly at Eona, looking withered.

He was holding something small, covered with dark blue fabric in his hands. It had a rectangular-shaped center piece, with four smaller rectangles attached to the bottom, in pairs of two. There was a long skinny attachment tied to the back, and a circular piece at the front. The circular piece had two tiny triangle pieces attached to the top, and had dark paint strokes on it. Everything was tied together with thin string.

"Liam, what is that?" Eona asked curiously.

"It's my stuffed animal," he replied. When he saw the look on Eona's face, he said, "No Miss, it's not a REAL animal that's been stuffed. It's just some hay wrapped up in fabric. See?"

She saw now. Some of the straws poked out sharply from the fabric, and she saw that the black strokes on the circular shape—the head—was a little face. To her it seemed a little odd, but when she saw him hold it snugly to his chest she felt a warmth inside of her. How long had he been alone in here, with no one to love him as he was forced to slave away? This might have been the only thing he found comfort in.

The door burst wide open, banging against the wall, as at least five men, _plus _the blond one, came stomping in. Eona did not see the older boy anywhere in sight. They grabbed hold of all three of them, each separately, and Eona saw Liam's stuffed cat tumble to the ground out of his reach as two men seized his arms.

"Unhand him!" Eona shouted, trying to lunge forward.

One of the soldiers—the blond man, who'd locked them up—brandished a knife with one hand while the other one continued holding Liam in place, gripping his hair as he pulled his head back, revealing his pale white throat.

"NO!" Eona screamed, and Lillia was able to momentarily free one of her hands and block Eona's line of sight. Eona heard the slashing sound of a knife followed by the wet sound of skin being sliced open and blood dripping to the ground. Lillia, who had her hand pressed to Eona's eyes, which were squeezed shut anyway, forcibly turned Eona's head in the other direction.

Lillia braved the scene Eona refused to look at and saw the man casually wiping away his knife on his pants, as though he were just wiping water rather than blood. "I guess," he said softly, "that your little girl there won't be saving anybody from this place."

To Lillia's great shock, her daughter launched right out of the soldier's firm grip and hit the man square in the jaw, sending him stumbling back a few paces. The same soldier who'd been holding her whipped out his sword. "Eona!" Lillia cried in warning. Eona turned and leaped out of the way just as the sword came dropping down toward her. He lifted it and swung again, and this time Eona reached out and caught his wrist, using all her strength to stop him midair. Her whole body shook, her teeth gritting, and she lifted her right leg and kicked him straight in the shin. It had little impact. She used his wrist to pull and hoist herself up as she kicked him again, much harder this time, in the rib cage. She kept kicking him, again and again, little kicks escalating into big kicks, mostly toward his legs. One of the first things she'd learned when Brannon had started teaching her how to fight and defend is to go for the enemy's legs. That messed with their balance, and was especially helpful and advantageous if you were the smaller one.

Eventually he'd dropped his sword, at which point Eona dashed to the ground and grabbed it, swinging it at anyone who dare came near. She noticed Lillia trying to fight off her own enemies, but not being quite as successful. Eona whipped the sword in their directions, giving Lillia a way out. Eona was outnumbered by several others with swords of their own. She kept blocking their blows, but she knew her time was dwindling. Lillia grabbed at anything she could get her hands on in the room—she picked up chairs and threw them at the soldiers. She threw some plates and pans that she found in the cabinets, one of them hitting a nearby candle—a burning candle—and sending it tumbling to the ground. It caught the folding screen and the fire started to spread rapidly, the crackling flames blindingly bright.

"By the gods!" one of the men shouted. "Look at what you've done!"

There was a mad rush to the door for escape and smoke was already rising into the air, making Eona cough and sputter. She squinted through the flames and steam, trying to find Lillia. A hand flew out and grabbed her, pulling her toward the door. "Eona," she heard her mother's voice in her ear, "We need to get out _now!_" It was just her and Lillia now. There were no more soldiers nearby. Eona kept the sword firmly intact, and through the whirling chaos of smoke and bright orange flames that seemed to lick up every inch of the building now, they managed to find their way into the corridors, down the right path, and through an opening.

When they got outside, they discovered it was a small prison set up in what appeared to be nowhere. Woodsy area surrounded their entire vicinity. There were people, guards and soldiers mostly, running around in a crazed panic. Within the frenzy Eona saw the blond man stomping toward them. He pointed at them and shouted at somebody. Eona took Lillia with her free hand and turned her abruptly, leading her in the opposite direction from him, away from the prison. They took sharp turns around people, Eona holding the sword out for protection, and ran towards the woods. Someone appeared in front of them; the boy again, the one who'd served them their soup earlier. Eona raised her sword as a warning gesture, and he covered his head, not daring to move. Eona and Lillia raced around him, cutting through the trees and making their way up a steep hill, until the prison below them was out of sight, and the sounds of yelling and chastising toward the boy for letting them get by had ceased.

* * *

She heard Lillia's running footsteps following her down the hill. "Eona, you cannot blame yourself for what happened to that boy!" she said breathlessly, grabbing hold of Eona's arm.

"Liam," she said, stopping and staring straight ahead. "He was Liam." Was.

She could hear Lillia's small, shuddering breaths behind her.

"I promised to get him out of there and I broke that promise."

"Don't be absurd—you didn't break _anything!_" Lillia yelled, suddenly furious. "Those soldiers outnumbered us. You couldn't do anything!" Lillia's face twisted in fury, and she gripped Eona's shoulder and turned her around to face her. Hard. Eona knew there'd be marks there later. She had never seen Lillia so angry before. So this was what a mother's tough love felt like. "You are always blaming yourself. Always. For once, stop and actually _think_ about what caused a certain situation, and you'll know it wasn't you at all."

Eona turned away, wrestling out of her mother's grip, and started down the hill again. She kept her pace slow and steady, so as not to go running off in an upset, childish fit. She heard her mother's equally steady footsteps behind her.

"You can't save everybody, Eona," Lillia said, softly now. "You're always trying to save everyone but yourself. You don't have control over everything that happens to everyone." She paused. "But you did save me. You saved both of us just now. And for that I am grateful."

Continuing on without looking back, wanting to not talk about it and risk getting emotional, Eona continued to walk. She did not know the direction they were going. Neither of them did. All they knew was that they wanted to get as far away from that place, and the memories of their short time there, as possible.

It was beginning to get quite hot as the middle of the day was approaching. They'd been traveling for about two hours. Eona was sure there was some place nearby as there wouldn't just be a small prison in the woods with so many people facilitating it without a village nearby, would there? She turned to ask her mother this when she realized all was quiet around her. And Lillia was nowhere in sight.

"Lillia? _Lillia_?" she called. She glanced frantically around her, taking a few steps forward in each direction. "Mother!" But she could not find her. When did she disappear? Eona thought she'd heard Lillia's footsteps behind her this whole time—that she'd been there just a minute ago. But had she really disappeared earlier? She had never glanced back to look at her, but she never heard any scuffle or struggle either.

This was getting worse and worse. She was literally on her own now. With just one sword. Not even a horse to travel on. No food or water. No idea where she really was.

_Stop it._ She commanded herself to stop thinking of these obvious and troubling thoughts. They would lead her nowhere. The only thing she could do now was try to think of which direction to go in and start moving. There had to be a place or person somewhere. She had to start somewhere. It would be dangerous, but it would have to do.


	10. Sho

**Chapter 10****—Sho**

It was only a little while before Eona realized she was going around in circles. Gritting her teeth, her grip tightening on the sword handle, she forced herself to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She waited it out for a couple seconds before exhaling and repeating. When she opened her eyes, her head a little clearer, she took in the space around her. She noted the directions she'd already gone in. She paid attention to the arrangement of the trees above her, the clouds in the sky, the pattern of the rocks to her left, the arrangement of pebbles to her right. Each and every single detail. There had to be something that she'd missed.

Squinting her eyes at the group of bushes a couple feet in front of her, she decided to go through them once again. She could've sworn she'd already tried that several times and had come up with nothing, just more trees and dirt and a dead end altogether. But since her eyes kept falling on that place and her instincts were screaming at her to go there, for no other explainable reason, she climbed through the bushes.

On the other side she almost noticed nothing different. She was about to turn back around in frustration when she noticed something beyond the leaves and dirt—its brown color almost blended in _with_ the dirt. She stepped through more bushes and low-hanging branches, getting scraped in the face multiple times, before getting a full view of it.

A wide stone structure stood in front of her almost entirely covered with vine and ivy. The top door was rounded at the top and framed with stones. The door itself was further in and was covered with symbols that were not familiar to Eona, but that she thought she might've seen in some of the books in the library. There were large boulders in front of it that she had to step over, as though to keep out intruders.

It looked far different from the large structure that her mother and her had been in. But something about the place drew her forward. She could not leave it uninspected, lest one of her allies be in there.

_Am I going to regret this?_ she wondered. She took a deep breath. Here went nothing.

Pushing the door open, cold and wet and slippery on her hands, she stepped into the narrow walkway with barely any light to lead the way, save the light from outside. Leaving the door open, she crept slowly and carefully through the tunnel. The ceiling seemed to get lower too, until her head nearly grazed it. Being a relatively short person, she couldn't imagine how difficult this would be for a taller person. The surroundings were like a cave. Stalagmites and stalactites were here and there, and Eona had to be careful not to hit any of them. The air was cold, unlike outside, and muggy and humid. The light from the door grew less and less visible. Her hand tightened around the hilt of the sword.

On her left she spotted a giant opening in the wall—no door, no hinges where it looked like a door might've once been, just a hole in the wall that for all she knew had been made by nature. It didn't look to have been carved by human hands. When she walked in, she could see it was dimly lit by torches along the walls. It was not another tunnel, but a room, with a high ceiling and a cage in the far back, currently holding two prisoners.

It certainly must have been something more than mere coincidence that Eona happened to stumble upon Chart and Lady Dela in there. They were sitting on the ground of the cage, their hands and feet shackled with chains and ropes. Their mouths were gagged. The cage was criss-crossed with bars both horizontal and vertical, creating squares. When Eona entered, her feet scraping on the ground and creating a loud echo with what would normally be such a small sound, they lifted their heads in startled unison. Eona was equally startled and confused. Eona was almost certain she was still somewhere in the west, maybe a little more south now, due to the heavy forests, albeit some of it was thinning out. But Dela was supposed to have been in the north with Ryko. Chart was supposed to be with Kygo and the rest of the villagers…

Kygo.

Before Eona could go over to them, she felt her stomach heave and she ran over to the corner of the room and threw up, facing away from Dela and Chart. When she finally recovered, she turned and walked back over to a puzzled Dela and Chart. Eona reached through of the squares the bars made with the cage and gently pulled down the gag covering Dela's mouth. "Eona!" she exclaimed while Eona did the same with Chart, who'd started moaning excitedly. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story…" She explained to them in as full detail as possible what happened from the day they'd left the village. From the disappearance of their soldiers, to her and Lillia's kidnapping, to the servant boy, down to this very moment where Eona discovered the cave. Dela's eyes widened and she looked a couple times like she wanted to comment, but she held back until Eona was all finished. "What are you two doing here?" asked Eona. "What happened? Where—"

"The _same _thing happened with our men," Dela said. "When I awoke…Ryko was gone. With all the others." She looked as though she might cry. "Then I was ambushed. I honestly couldn't tell you what happened or who it was. I just remember being knocked out and…I woke up here. They must travel fast. This seems pretty far from where we had been. We'd been getting closer to the mountains."

"The village was ambushed too," Chart said grimly. "It was when we were sleeping. Cowards," he spat. "It's as though they don't dare try to fight us in a fair fight. The last I saw of Emperor Kygo, he was being dragged away. I don't know where my mother is…or Lon…I don't know where anyone is. I hope they're all okay."

Dela frowned. "They must've been somewhere in the _hundreds_! How could they have overpowered us so easily…" Her voice was abruptly cut off when Eona began shaking the cage doors, unable to open them. They were locked from both the outside and inside. Whoever did this must've thrown away the key. Dela sighed. "It's no use, Eona. If it were that easy, we'd have already escaped."

Eona took her sword and started to smash it against the lock. She did it a couple more times but nothing broke. She stood there, panting, with a hand on her hip.

"Eona, that doesn't look like your sword," said Dela suspiciously.

"It's not. Both of mine were taken, remember? Look, I'd like to find them just as badly as you do," she added, seeing Dela's shocked and outraged expression, "but I have NO idea where they are, and this is all I have right now. I found it off of…someone. In the woods. They were dead."

Just then the door all the way at the beginning of the tunnel slammed shut, the torches now brighter than ever. Eona spun around, sword raised, seeing a silhouette at the entrance to the room. Soft cackling sounded from the figure and it could only be matched with one person.

"Why do you want to save them?" Ido asked, stepping into the dancing shadows the torches threw on the floor. They danced around on his face, elongating his already high cheekbones, narrow nose, and slitted eyes.

"That's none of your concern."

"No, it's not. But it is…curious. Very, very curious." He put a hand to his chin, mocking deep thoughts. "After all, even though they're your friends and everything—"

"They're not my friends," she said flatly. "They're Eon's friends."

A cold and calculating smile spread across Ido's face. "Ah, yes. Eon. The dear beloved Eon. Ryko's last hope. Hope of the resistance. Dela and Ryko's prized fighter." Ido began a slow clap, pacing around the room, staring mockingly at Eona. Eona kept pace with him, never letting him leave her sight. They were stepping around in a circle, keeping in each other's view. Abruptly he stopped. "My Lady, they've never appreciated you one bit. Why appreciate them?"

"You may be right," Eona said, "but that doesn't mean that what you're doing is right."

"Well, since we've seemed to reach an agreement, why not work with me? We could do great things together."

"It is not that simple. I trusted you once, and I won't ever make that mistake again."

"Power does not cause those who have it to become corrupt. Power causes those who don't have it to become bitter and envious." Just then he leaped over towards Eona and grabbed her. She held onto the sword, struggling to free herself from his grip, as he dragged her across the floor, her feet sliding loudly against the gravel. When the both of them were across the other side of the room, the floor where Eona and Ido had been standing was shaking. Actually the entire room, cave, and torches were shaking. Dela and Chart's cage rattled and the two of them winced and glanced around, eyes wide with fear and alarm. Then Eona saw the floor begin to open—not a crack as if from an earthquake, but two boards sliding open, clearly man-made and built there. When it was all the way open, Eona and Ido and the cage with Dela and Chart were all on the edge of the deep opening in the earth. It turned out Ido had dragged her out of harm's way.

When Eona glanced below, and got a peek of what was under, she almost jumped back. There was a horde of large, angry, hissing alligators, about six total. They looked to be about twenty feet long each, maybe longer. Eona gulped and looked at Ido. "How did they get here?"

Ido smiled. "That's for me to know, like so many other things. And you will just have to live on wondering. If you live on at all after that." He walked over to the cage and grabbed a fistful of Chart's shirt. "And that might not be possible with you."

Suddenly Ido pulled a key from a small pocket in his shirt, jammed it in the cage door, and yanked it open. He yanked Chart out—the chains breaking from inside the cage, still attached to his wrists and ankles. He was barefoot. Ido gripped Chart around the chest and held him near the edge, easily able to drop him down into the pit of alligators any second.

Chart stared down in horror at what possibly awaited him as his fate. She had never seen him look this terrified before. Not even when she'd compelled him. Never.

"What are you doing?!" Chart yelped.

"I'm going to feed you to them. Unless…" He glanced at Eona and put a finger to his chin. "Unless Eona compels you."

"What?" she yelled. "Why? What purpose does this all serve you?"

"It just does. I don't answer many questions my dear, in case you haven't already noticed."

"Don't you realize that if I were to compel him, I'd compel you too?" She kept holding the sword, wanting to charge Ido with it, but anytime she came close, he used Chart as a shield.

"Not if I can help it." He gave that mysterious grin again but said nothing more.

Eona gulped and glanced up at Chart. She swallowed again. Her throat felt swollen. Or like there was a big heavy weight in it that kept her from being able to swallow at all. "Chart," she said so quietly that she could barely even hear herself.

One of the alligators opened its mouth up big and wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth, its jaws big enough to crush any human to pieces in seconds. In fact, it already had—there was leftover flesh and blood and crushed bones in its maw from some earlier victim.

"Chart," Eona said, louder. "Let me…let me…It's better than…" She gestured toward the gruesome scene right beneath them. Surely he couldn't choose getting eaten alive over compulsion.

Chart was already nodding his head fiercely. "Yes. Do it Eona! Hurry up!" For a moment he stopped talking. He'd felt something, the tiniest thing inside of him, so tiny he thought he might've imagined it. It was less than a second of energy in him, gone before he could decide how it even felt. Like a swift presence of a bird flying by you, then gone.

Eona looked at Ido. "There, I did it," she said through gritted teeth. "I compelled him."

"Do it again," he commanded.

Eona's heartbeat reached out and connected with Chart's, for a solid second. She promptly severed it.

Chart and Ido glanced at each other, dumbfounded. Ido released Chart and made his way over to Eona in fast angry strides. "Okay, here's the thing," he said. "Do it _right_."

"I am doing it right—"

"No you're not! He's supposed to feel it! _I'm_ supposed to feel it! Neither of us felt it!"

"Well, I—I felt it—"

"Shut up," Ido snarled, hitting Chart on the head so hard the sound echoed off the walls. He turned back to Eona. "This is your last warning, Lady Eona. If you don't compel Chart right now, I will throw him to the alligators and you will watch him die a vile, bloody, violent death right in front of your eyes. They haven't eaten in a while…they're _very _hungry." He licked his lips as if to imitate a hungry, salivating alligator.

Once again, Eona slid her heartbeat underneath Chart's, connecting their Huas. Only this time, she held on a little longer, barely making an effort to compel him. Ido seemed to enjoy the whole thing, not feeling a bit of pain from it. Eona couldn't feel her Hua connect to his at all, which was odd and maddening. Anytime she'd tried to compel Ido in the past, Ryko would get sucked into the whirlwind of it. So why was it not happening to Ido now?

"Very _good_!" he said at last, sighing heavily as though having taken a breath of refreshing air. On the contrary, Chart was panting and breathing laboriously. "Now see my boy? That wasn't so bad. How did you not ever trust the Lady? She wouldn't hurt you…those alligators, though, they would've given you something to cry about. They would've done more damage to your form than your deformity did. They would've deformed your deformity." Ido howled with laughter. "But then, maybe that's what you wanted anyway."

"How…how did that happen?" Eona asked. She'd felt Ido's own heartbeat connect to hers momentarily, but it had gradually pushed hers away. She couldn't understand it. No one had ever been able to do that before.

"I told you: There are many questions that will remain unanswered. So long as I'm around, you'll just be in the midst of its mystery, my Lady."

The floor began to push back into place, making the entire cave vibrate once again. Eona's sword rattled in her grasp, and she hung on to a stalactite to keep from sliding toward the still-open floor where the alligators were. Once the floor finally shut, she looked at the place where Ido had been standing and saw that he was gone. She glanced around, head whipping in every direction, sword raised, but he was nowhere in sight. The entire cave was occupied once again by only Chart, Eona, and Dela. The cave was still shaking, only much harder now, giving no sign that it would stop. Since the cage door was open, Eona ran over and cut the ropes away from Dela's wrists and ankles. She cut the chain links away as well, though the cuffs themselves would have to remain attached to her wrists for now. But at least they were free to go. Which needed to be soon if they didn't want to end up caved in and buried alive.

All three rushed around the corner, Chart and Dela at Eona's heels, heading toward the light at the end of the tunnel. Ido must've gone out that way, although that had been very quick…perhaps the shaking and rattling of the cave had opened it back up.

Chart and Dela had to crouch under the low ceiling, small rocks falling everywhere, and Chart tripped over a stalagmite and fell flat on his face. Eona and Dela crouched down to help pick him up as they continued their way out.

About only three seconds after they'd made it outside, where there were giant gusts of wind that practically blew them off their feet, Eona saw it in the sky: The Rat Dragon. Its hungry snout and long scaly neck was a deep blue against the sky, right behind the structure about to tear it down like a tornado, and its glowing yellow-gold eyes looked vicious. She could hear its roar, not just through her ears, but her whole body. Even though it was a celestial dragon, she was almost sure it would eat them. So many questions ran through her mind. Where was Ido? How had he done that? Were the alligators dead or did they have another escape? Even though they were predatory towards humans, Eona couldn't help but feel sorry for them as well.

When the dragon faded away and the howling stopped, Eona realized it had only lasted for a few seconds, even though it had seemed frozen in time. The three of them stood there, breathing heavily, gazing at each other with wide, confused eyes. Eona turned and started walking up the path toward the hill she'd come down. Dela and Chart followed without word.

After about a minute of slow, cautious walking, Dela said, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going back the same way I came, to the place where I was separated from my mother. And maybe take a different route."

"Are you sure you're leading us to the right place?"

"Of course I am."

"You don't exactly have a history of leading people where you say you're leading them."

Eona stopped dead in her tracks, so abruptly, that Chart accidentally walked into her. She took no notice and spun around to face Dela. "That history includes you and Ryko," Eona snapped. The words came out before she'd mentally okay'd them. But she didn't care because it was the truth, and therefore she didn't care when Dela looked like her breath caught in her throat. Was she really surprised? Her and Ryko had abandoned Eona during her darkest hour. She'd been all alone. And Ryko had taken every opportunity to slam her left and right, while Dela stood and watched, barely lending a hand to Eona.

Eona saw Dela frowning and saw something…hurt?—disbelief—in her eyes. "We've always been on your side, Eona. Through thick and thin."

"No, I was always standing on my own. I was so happy…so happy…when I was chosen as the Mirror Dragoneye. I felt like a champion, like everything I'd done finally paid off. But most of all, I felt like I wasn't entirely alone anymore. Especially after my master died." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Then you instantly took all that away from me." It was ironic how people had been very vocal, always, about her literal ability to control others, but not a word was spoken about others' ability to control her. Not in the same way, but certainly with the same severity. "That's real power, Dela. When you care about someone. They immediately have power over you. And you didn't even ask for it." She turned away. There was an uncomfortable heavy silence that hung in the air. Finally, Dela spoke.

"Ryko is and always will be an honorable, dutiful man. He is a gentlemen—" Eona snorted at this—"who has done far more for you than he ever had to. For you to just spit on him like that…" Dela shook her head.

"How can he protect me when he's the one I need protecting from?"

"How can you say that?"

"You know what, Dela? I can't help it that unlike you, I go after what I want in life. That unlike you, I don't let others step in my way. I didn't wait too long or overthink things or hesitate. I went for it. I didn't care that people said I couldn't or shouldn't do it just because I'm a girl. You stood back and kept your hands behind your back like a _good woman._" She saw Dela's nostrils flare. "And yet weirdly enough, at the same time, the two of you wouldn't know your place if it smashed you in the face. And that's _not_ sacrificing yourselves for me. I never asked you to do that. So stop being angry at me because I'm the thing standing in the way of you and Ryko being able to be together. I've always urged you two to be together. I'm not the one who has a problem with it. Others, on the other hand, are." There was an underlying implication in her tone.

"You…you heard my father when he was speaking to me about Ryko?"

"I did. But unlike Ryko, I'm not the type to run around blabbing about peoples' private matters because that's your business, and I have my own to mind."

"He was only trying to warn Chart about something very serious. He didn't know if you were going to tell him or not. You were being influenced by Ido at the time, and we were trying to keep him from fully taking over your mind, because it was our job to guide you into the right direction."

"Don't flatter yourself. You were _never _my guiding light."

Chart glanced back and forth between them. "You guys, can we just keep moving? We probably have a long enough way to go as it is."

"Very well," Eona said, having had her say anyway. Dela pursed her lips, but they continued to trek onward. It was soon going to be nightfall. The outlines of the trees and branches up above were becoming more clear and bold. When Eona had finally reached the place she'd witnessed her mother get kidnapped, she stopped and closed her eyes, trying desperately to recall which direction her mother had been taken.

There was a sound of a twig snapping. A few more followed. They all stopped and glanced around anxiously.

From the right, the body of a man fell out of the bushes flat on the ground in front of them with a _plop!_ The flesh was rotting heavily now, and worms and maggots were crawling around, including in and out of its eye sockets. Chart's face screwed up in disgust. "Ack! That's ungodly." Dela turned away, covering her mouth. Eona kept her same blank neutral expression as she stared at the body, only wondering how it had gotten there in the first place. Why had it just fallen out of the trees? Had it been propped up somewhere or did someone throw it towards them? It was a horrible way to treat someone after they died.

As if on cue, her answer was granted. Several men, maybe ten or a dozen, stepped out of the bushes, swords raised. They surrounded them and all looked as if they might slice them to pieces for dinner. It was very much the opposite, but still just as frightening, as how her and Lillia had been ambushed the first morning after leaving their village.

"Alright, here's how it works," said one of the men. "You can either come with us willingly and cooperatively, or we can beat you to the ground until you are still conscious enough to obey but too weak to disobey. And believe me, we can do it faster and easier than you think."

Eona, Dela, and Chart were standing at each other's backs. Though Eona was the only one who had a weapon, it wouldn't have mattered if all three of them did. They were still vastly outnumbered. For each of them, there were about three more soldiers. Dela and Chart knew this just as well, and grudgingly stepped forward. Eona tentatively lowered her sword and stepped forward with them. But before she did so, when she was still an inch away from Chart's back, she held the sword out behind him and slid into his hand. She felt him take it willingly but reluctantly.

"Hey," said one of the soldiers. "What are you…"

He grabbed out to her and Eona twisted out of his grasp before he had a full grip on her. She was encircled now by about five soldiers. She tried looking over their shoulders, but could not see Dela or Chart. Quickly she zig-zagged through the swords and soldiers, miraculously avoiding the blades. The last thing she saw before darting through the trees was Chart wildly and clumsily swinging the sword out, ready to hit anyone that came near him, and Dela cowering behind him. The soldiers quickly overpowered both of them however, and soon they were dragging them away in the opposite direction. Others were rounding in towards Eona, and she had no choice but to keep moving further away. Eona turned for the last time and fled until she could no longer hear heels behind her.

She would never surrender.

* * *

She spent the entire night running, walking, practically crawling through the woods. She had no idea what new path she would find, if she were lucky enough to find one. Ido was unstoppable; how had he gained so many followers, in so many areas? They all seemed ready for them, at any time, to jump out and capture them. At this rate, everyone, including the emperor himself, was probably captured. Eona had never felt so empty and vulnerable in her life without her ancestress' swords.

Slumping down near a tree, her feet could no longer carry her.

When she awoke hours later, the sun shone through the slitted branches. Squinting her eyes, she got up and pushed one of the branches down and out of the way. She'd made her way out of the woods the night before without even realizing it. For beyond the trees, down the slope of a rolling green hill, there was a village. Instead of coming out of the trees and being in vulnerable plain sight, Eona moved sideways along the edge of the forest, staying hidden from view, until she was at a lower place where she got a better, even closer view of the village.

People in brown and black cloaks shuffled around, doing everyday chores such as chopping wood, gathering firewood, fetching water from the well, and taking care of the horses. Most of them seemed relatively tall and broad. When Eona paid distinct attention to their faces, she could see that all of them were men and boys. She did not see a single woman or girl in sight.

The lodgings here were quite different from the ones Eona's people used. These cabins had wooden doors with handles rather than the thin sliding doors she'd been used to. The cabins seemed to be made entirely out of wood or clay, and while many looked old or corroded, they still seemed sturdy and the foundations seemed fairly strong. There was no glass in the windows or anything fancy to hint at what they believed in or what their values were. It was neutral and very blank-looking, almost mysterious. She couldn't conclude anything about this place just from structure alone.

She turned her head and glanced carefully around the forest she was ready to step out of. Carefully considered her options. Should she go and ask for help? Ask for information about this place, about where she was? She did not know any of these people, and for all she did know they could be with Ido too. But there seemed to be nowhere else in sight. She might be days' worth away from the next nearest village.

Her eyes fell on something at the base of a tree nearby. When she stumbled toward it, she found that it was a heap of dark fabric. Slowly reaching downward, she saw that it was on a corpse. The person was facedown so she never knew their age, but she presumed it was a male. Holding her breath and gritting her teeth, she forced herself to take the cloak off of the corpse, murmuring apologetic prayers. She glanced at the villagers again, catching sight of their hooded cloaks—she was holding one just like theirs. Was this person from the village? What had happened? Were they executed there and then dumped unceremoniously right here on the outskirts of the village? She inspected it for any blood, rips, anything to indicate foul play, but there was none. She pulled her hair up into a tight knot, then quickly put the cloak on over her clothes and pulled the hood up. It was way too big for her, but comfortably warm and soft. Rolling up the sleeves and hem as best she could, she made her way across the grass, remaining as inconspicuous as possible. Her eyes fixed on an empty cabin with a wide-open door and she went slowly and casually toward it, as though walking past it. She caught a glimpse inside and saw an assortment of weapons. Swords, bows and arrows, daggers, and clubs made up rows upon rows among other weapons hanging on walls, sitting on shelves—

"What do you think you're doing?" came a sharp voice. She gasped and turned, her hood falling over her eyes, shielding him from view. Lifting it, she saw a young man in a long cloak of his own that was opened, revealing a simple tunic and trousers underneath. He looked not much older than Eona, with medium-length dark hair and a serious look. Not a threatening look, though the step he took towards her was threatening enough in this place full of strangers.

"Oh. Um…hello," she said, sounding much calmer than she felt. She tried to deepen her voice only a little, to sound natural but more masculine.

"Who are you?"

Grappling for a boy's name, she said, "Ping. My name is Ping." She kept her voice even, contrasting the nerves going haywire in her body.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Ping…I've never heard of a Ping around here before." He put his hands on his hips. "Where are your relatives Ping?"

Eona gulped. She almost reached at her waist for her sword out of habit, only then remembering its absence. She had no way of answering the question.

"I knew you weren't from around here. You're an orphan from the next village over. That's why I saw you coming out of the trees."

Just when she was about to run, he stepped forward and put on hand on her shoulder. "Relax," he said in a low voice. "No one here is going to hurt you, so long as you stay out of their way. With a boy as small as you, you could be easy prey for the big guys here. So just stay with me and you won't get run over."

Eona was surprised by his sudden warmth. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright then. Follow me. I will show you to an available chamber. It's not very much, but it will do." She followed him, not needing to try very hard to regain her boyish composure and way of carrying herself. She imagined it would always be natural to her, even if she eventually quit it for good. "My name is Sho," he said. "My master is Liang. He will allow you to sleep in our extra quarters, but he's not very fond of me, so it's doubtful he'll be fond of you either." He stopped in front of a small structure that one could probably easily walk all the way through in just a few steps.

"May I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, Ping."

"Where are all the women and girls?"

Sho turned to her with a dark look on his face, glanced back at the structure. "We're here."

A twisted feeling rose in her gut at his lack of response, but Eona returned her focus on the matter at hand. When she entered the cabin, it was a wonder how even one person could reside in it. There was a narrow path leading to the back where there were two squares cut out from the wall situated closely together that resembled windows. A cloth covered the outside of them as a makeshift curtain—or perhaps a permanent one—for the sake of privacy or shade, but one could still hear conversations right outside of it, and it probably wouldn't do any good against cold or rain. On the left side of the narrow space was a large rectangular space cut out of the wall that served as a bed. There was nothing on it. Everything else in the cabin was completely bare as well, save for a small empty crate beneath the windows.

"This is where you will sleep. I'll come by later to deliver you some food. I'd introduce you to Master Liang right now, but he is off on a mission."

"What kind of mission?"

Sho glanced sharply at her, a look that said _Don't push it. _Then he smiled. "Here is your living quarters." He swept a hand across the room, as if to make it look bigger than it was. Then he stood there awkwardly, his hands folded in front of him, not quite knowing what to do. Eona was only standing an inch away from him and when she looked up into his eyes, a strange feeling overcame her—she felt like he was someone she'd known before. He didn't look the least bit familiar, but somehow she felt at ease with his presence, like he was a safe person to trust. But she just met him. She didn't know anything about him. Why was there this overpowering feeling that he wasn't going to hurt her, even if he found out the truth? Especially in this world where it was the survival of the fittest? She'd never felt that way about anyone when she was Eon.

Suddenly there were shouts and screams coming from outside. Sho sprinted out the door, Eona following him. There was a large crowd of men gathered outside. He tried to weave his way through it, and Eona had another massive gut feeling take over—one that told her she wasn't going to like what she was about to see.

She turned to Sho. "What's happening?"

A crowd had gathered around to see what all the fuss was about. Eona and Sho both being shorter than the majority of people there, struggled to see over the shoulders of the onlookers. Eona immediately darted forward, squeezing through annoyed people, until she finally reached the front to the open circle where all the commotion was going on.

Three men were holding down a man, writhing and struggling to get free, gripping the back of his neck and shoulders, on a slat of wood propped up by two boulders. Eona recognized him immediately—Ryko. He was in a tunic and trousers, having been stripped of his armor. They must've captured him and thought he was an enemy soldier there as a threat or possibly leading an ambush. While two of the men continued to hold him down, the third went and grabbed an ax from a nearby shed and walked back over, raising it above his head.

"NO!" Eona screamed, rushing forward and leaping herself on top of Ryko's back just as the ax began to fall. It stopped midway. Silence.

Sho had made his way through the crowd now too. "Ping, what are you _doing_?"

The two men grabbed her and thrust her to the ground like a rag doll. "How dare you?" one of them shouted in her face, so close she could feel spittle flying from his mouth.

"You little _rat_," the other one chided. His teeth were crooked, yellow, and filthy. "What gives a little boy like you the right to come and interrupt this execution? Why, we ought to take yours right off your puny little shoulders too while we're at it!"

The crowd cheered at that. Eona had thought she'd already known how barbaric people could get. She'd had no idea.

"He's…he's…he's my brother." Perhaps the years of pretending so much hadn't been just a burden after all. Perhaps they'd at least taught her how to think quick on her feet. But Ryko would need a different name. "This is Shin. My brother. He means you no harm," she announced. "Please, I beg of you…let him live." She heard a confused grunt come from Ryko and she leaned into his ear, whispering, "Just play along."

The crowd had been silenced for a moment, then erupted into jeers, sneers, and protests. Eona glanced back at Ryko. _Trust me, _she mouthed.

A thick heavyset man emerged from the crowd, approaching her with both his beefy hands balled into fists. "How about this? We duel until there is a winner. If you win, he can live. You can both stay, without any trouble, unless of course you cause any. If I win…if I win, both of you must be executed." Eona expected an evil grin to appear on his face as he said this, but he just stared at her, awaiting her response. He was completely serious.

Sho bristled beside her. "H-how about you just exile them?" he asked weakly.

"Shut up, fisher," the man snarled.

Ryko was shaking his head at Eona, mouthing the word, 'No'. Eona bit her lip and tore her gaze away from him. She looked the man right in the eye and said, "Alright."

There were several excited whispers and exclamations throughout the crowd, followed by a hush.

"What are you doing?" Sho hissed into her ear. "Ping, you can't—"

"That's my _brother_," Eona said, playing her part, gesturing toward Ryko. He made a sound of protest. "I have to."

"Ping," Sho said, his face turning sympathetic. "I know that. I know, but…nobody's ever been able to defeat him." His forehead, wrinkled with worry, was practically touching hers and she could feel his intense breaths on her face as he glanced anxiously over to her opponent.

"I have to try," Eona said.

Barely suppressing a sigh of frustration, Sho skittered over toward one of the nearby cabins and disappeared inside. Almost instantly he reappeared, returning toward Eona with a long sword in hand—it must have been one of his Master's creations.

Eona, feeling a bit strange and almost intrusive taking hold of someone else's sword, felt the hilt of the foreign object become steadily more familiar in her grasp. She was a fighter, a warrior—a Dragoneye.

The clash of swords echoed throughout the vicinity, seeming to send ripples in the air. Faces and eyes stared all around them as Eona and her opponent's feet scraped across the dirt and sand, her moving backwards with every swipe of the sword. The man proved how much looks could be deceiving. He may have been big, but he could move quick. He was as light on his feet as a cheetah. Eona blocked his every blow without much difficulty, but not without surprise at how fast he moved. His sword was a blur—she was becoming breathless.

Finally she blocked his most fierce blow yet, a high-pitched _cling! _filling the air as their swords connected. It left everyone's ears ringing. A few of the onlookers, mostly the elderly ones, even winced. Eona could feel her feet and back up against a wall—she could not move back any further. She felt pinned there, trapped. She was eerily reminded of her duel with Ranne on the day the Rat Dragoneye apprentice would be picked. How shocked everyone was when the cripple fought back—none too different from how shocked people were now that the young skinny boy was fighting back. Eona could only imagine how stunned and aghast they'd be if they knew she was a _girl._ Using all of her strength, beads of sweat dripping down her face, she pushed back against his weight and freed herself from his hold, swinging her sword out and leaping away from the wall of the cabin.

He was clearly caught off guard, and from the whispered gasps in the crowd, so was everyone else. Panic flashed across his eyes, followed by anger. Eona raised her sword up, tilting her chin up. He raised his sword and they began again. They stepped around for the first few seconds and it quickly escalated to jumping and dodging out of danger.

For two more eternities did they battle sword to sword, until Eona could've sworn she'd heard someone scream her name. The word "Eona!" reached her ears, and her moment of hesitation was a deadly one—she could feel the sword go through her before she fully realized what was happening. For a second everything seemed silent, as though someone had muted any and all sounds around her. Her sword's handle slid from her hand but she didn't hear it clatter to the ground. She didn't know if she couldn't get her gasp out, or if she just hadn't heard herself. Her hood flew off her head as she slowly stumbled back. Her hands flew to her stomach to staunch the blood flow, but the blood oozed between her fingers and dripped down, the thick coppery smell reaching her nostrils. She could almost feel the life leaving her body. She could feel her veins emptying, her vision leaving her, and then the familiar and comforting tug of cinnamon and vanilla orange as she used everything she had to summon Eona. It made the pain in her head explode ten times more to do it, but she was going to die anyway. This was her only chance.

The wind rolled, blowing bits of dust and hay across the ground. She could feel the energy traveling through her, energy healing her Hua and giving her strength. Her breath steadied and she became less afraid. She lifted her head and dared to look into her opponent's eyes—his eyes bulging out of his head, his mouth hanging open, as if frozen in a scream. Eona raised tentative fingers to her stomach. The pain was gone. So was the blood. Not a drop of it left. No stain on her cloak. She was as dry as hay. It was as though she'd gone back in time.

She picked the sword up off the ground, catching Sho's look of astonishment, awe, and confusion in her peripheral vision. But she only had eyes for the man across from her, who had already recovered from his shock. He didn't care anymore how the little boy had healed himself of a fatal wound. The trouble was he was still alive, and he needed to rid him. He did _not _need this little runt humiliating him in front of all his peers.

Eona nodded. _Ready?_ They went again, on and on, neither giving in a bit. It was like the sun and the moon, each refusing to fade, each wanting to prevail the victor. Eona's blade finally sliced through the cloth of his shirt, sinking all the way through his breastbone. His adamant look of disdain vanished. His mouth dropped open and blood bubbled out of his gurgling throat.

Already by his side, sword thrown down, Eona placed a hand on his chest, ready to begin the healing process again.

One of the men rushed over and shoved her aside. She tumbled to the ground and looked up into his cold, angry eyes. "Rules are rules," he said. "He would not want you to bring him back with your…your…" He might've wanted to say 'power', but his confused, afraid, and disgusted look prevented him from finishing that sentence. "He wants to die this way. We will respect that."

Eona gazed past him, into the man's eyes which were now rolling into the back of his head. His big body fell to the ground with a heavy _thump_, his eyes shut as though he were asleep. His skin, which had been glowing and tan minutes ago, was now pale and ashen and gray. Bits of dust had slightly risen into the air around his head.

Her gaze briefly lingered on Ryko. His eyes were wide and slightly dazed, as if he still didn't have a clue as to what was going on. In fact he seemed to be looking right through her, as though he were seeing someone else completely.

The other man, who'd stopped her from healing her opponent, turned back to her while several others came and lifted her opponent's body off the ground and carried him out of the vicinity. He stared at her for a long time and then said, "You and your brother may take up residence in one of my cabins. I hope the two of you don't gain an arrogant mind from this. You are still lowly working slaves and will remain as such. Do not intend to move any higher up the ladder."

"Master Liang," Sho said, bending forward in a low bow. "I assure you I will watch over them and make sure they do not cause any trouble. I shall take responsibility for the both of them. And Ping here can already show Shin the way to their quarters."

"See to it that you do," Master Liang barked.

_So this is Master Liang,_ Eona thought. She hadn't known how to picture him—big like he was, or small but fit like some power holders were. But he was every bit as sharp, sour, and intimidating as she'd expected him.

As she led Ryko away from everyone toward their cabin, he leaned down to her ear. "Why are we pretending to be different people?" he hissed.

Ignoring him because she did not want to attract attention, she continued toward the cabin. Briefly she wondered if he thought she'd only done what she just did because she was playing a 'part', or to ensure he lived so that she could have one more person—especially one of the most skilled fighters—out looking for Kat. The truth was, she couldn't bear watching him die. Just like she couldn't bear watching Dela or Chart die. She was still angry at them. She still felt betrayed. She still thought they were ignorant, hypocritical, and selfish. But she could not sit back and watch someone kill them.

Her stomach clenched as they stepped inside, Ryko letting the door fall shut behind him. It was hitting her that she'd just killed someone, and that Ryko had been seconds away from getting his head sliced clean off. And all because they were outsiders? What was wrong with these people?

She walked all the way to the back, which only took a few steps, and lightly pushed the curtain aside, feeling the heat from outside the window. She turned and saw Ryko still standing by the door, arms folded, awaiting an explanation.

"These may or may not be Ido's men," Eona said firmly. "We shouldn't divulge our identities. I'm here because they may have some of our own people. It _does_ seem like they're awfully suspicious of anyone who comes here, which may mean they're hiding something," she said, surprised as she said it, the thought just striking her. "How did you get here?"

Ryko frowned. "We were ambushed, kidnapped, separated, the whole thing. I've been trudging through the woods for days. How did you get here?"

Eona explained to him all that had happened since they'd left their encampment to search for Ido and Kat, which admittedly wasn't too different from what Ryko just said happened to him. She hadn't realized how much had really happened in such a short time span, making it seem a lot longer. She found herself exhausted after explaining everything. Ryko perked up when she mentioned Dela and Chart. She asked him if he'd seen Kat or her mother or anyone else. Unfortunately, Ryko had seen no one. He had also gotten separated from his own fellow troops and Dela, just like Eona had from hers and Lillia. There seemed to have been traps set up everywhere for them or clusters of Ido's men lurking behind every bush. Like it was all planned and set up. They'd been heavily diverted from his path to the north, but the few areas they'd explored seemed more than deserted anyway. The north was filled with such unforgiving and cruel cold temperatures, he found it impossible for anyone to reside there anyway.

Eona delicately moved the curtain aside, glancing out the window again, as if just looking at the people out there would help her figure them out. "Oh, and there's only one bed. So you can have it."

She could hear footsteps coming her way, and then Ryko was looking out the other window. "It's too small for me. You can have it."

Eona glanced at him curiously and then passed by him—the space was so narrow they almost brushed against each other with barely any movement. She crouched, sitting down on the bed. Her head grazed against the ceiling. She wished there was another window beside the bed so she wouldn't feel so closed in.

"Why are you pretending to be a boy?" Ryko asked. He tried unsuccessfully to keep his voice casual.

"Do you see any girls or women around here?" Ryko didn't respond, except for a sigh. "Besides," Eona added quietly, "it's easier for me." She had not shaken off four years of pretending so easily.

Ryko glanced back at her, opening his mouth to say something, then shutting it. He reached out to put his hand on the wall near the bed to lean against it, and Eona flinched. It was completely involuntary and she didn't meant to do it, but she realized Ryko saw it and he frowned, taking his hand away from the wall.

"My Lady. You look nervous." The look of fear and suspicion in her eyes, mixed with resentment, suddenly clicked. "You think I'm going to expose you. Or…or hurt you." He sounded offended.

"You do have a tendency to grab me whenever you please. Will I need to sleep with one eye open?"

"I won't grab you again. I'm…I'm sorry." He seemed to use all his might just to say the words. Eona looked at him wearily, not knowing whether to believe him or not. "You know we're on the same side. And you know I was never trying to hurt you."

"It seems like you're always waiting for the perfect opportunity to gloat over my misery." She willed herself not to be sorry for it when she saw his mouth hang open. It was true, and that was all that mattered.

"My Lady," Ryko said firmly, "we're in this together. I will not put you out there if you don't put me out." He paused, and Eona somehow knew his next words were almost vital. "It's something I wish you'd known when you were Eon. That you could've told us—trusted us."

Eona gave a curt nod and turned away.

* * *

She heard two distinct clapping sounds, followed by, "Wake up, Ping and Shin." Sitting up groggy-eyed, Eona hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep and that it was a new day.

Sho was standing above them, smiling apologetically. Eona had thought she'd heard a knocking on the door a little while ago, but must've been half asleep and thought it was a dream. "I'm sorry to just barge in on you like this, but I just thought I'd better properly introduce myself to you two again, have some proper introductions amongst all of us, and then get you started on tomorrow's work."

Eona sat on the edge of her bed while Ryko stayed on the ground where he was, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Sho situated himself down in front of the door, between them, barely an inch or two away from each of them. There really was no room in here. Sho let the door shut behind him, but not before Eona caught a glimpse of outside, where it looked like the sun was just rising, and there weren't very many people out yet.

"_Tomorrow's _work?" Ryko asked hopefully. "Not today?"

"I managed to convince Master Liang to give you two one more day's rest before giving you any official tasks. It might sound mighty generous of him, and I suppose it is, but the reason he gave for it is that he wants to see if he can trust the two of you before treating you like one of his own. Like one of his servants—like me. Like you belong here." He sighed. "He wants to see that you will not cause any trouble here. He's always very suspicious of outsiders. You understand, don't you?" But Eona got the distinct feeling even he didn't understand. She also got the distinct feeling that he was here on Liang's orders, but was trying his best to remain calm and friendly, keeping the atmosphere normal, as demonstrated by how he crossed his legs comfortably and folded his hands and smiled. "So! Let's get acquainted. Let's get to know each other."

After an awkward moment of silence, Ryko cleared his throat and said, "Well, I'm Ry—uh, Shin," he amended when Eona shot him a warning look. "And that's Ping."

"Your son, right?"

"No," Ryko said irritably, "my younger brother."

"Oh! Yes, yes, sorry. Your brother. There must be a massive age difference between you two," he said, clearly not noticing Ryko's reddening face as if thinking, _Do I really look that old?_

Suppressing a yawn, Eona pushed off the bed and knelt down on the ground next to them. "And you're Sho."

"Yes," he confirmed. There was something about him—not familiar necessarily, but striking. As if he looked like someone she knew, or perhaps was related to someone she knew. But she couldn't think of any associations with him. And she was almost certain she'd never seen him before—

"And what of your parents?" Sho asked. "Where are they?"

Ryko and Eona looked at each other as if waiting for the other to answer. Eona started to say, "Our parents are—" but that's all she got out.

"Dead," Ryko said flatly, his voice outweighing hers. "Our parents are dead. Murdered when I was eight, and sh—er, _he_ was a baby."

Sho frowned and nodded. "I'm terribly sorry." He sounded like he meant it, but Eona couldn't tell for sure. "I can somewhat relate. I was brought up by my own parents until about age ten. Then they, they were swept away in a flood." The three of them sat there for a moment, as if for silence to honor their fallen parents. Then just as it had seemed the mood couldn't get any dimmer, Sho said, "I enjoy getting to know you guys, but we really must get to an important point here. Though I'm sure you've already noticed, there are certain—'rules' here, for lack of a better term—that the vast majority of people in this village must abide by. Certainly Master Liang, who took me in right after the death of my parents, firmly believes in them. He's been relatively merciful on me, if only because I work for him and am his responsibility, but if he knew how deeply I disagreed with his views, he'd have the entire village on top of me for it." His face was set in a grim, resigned expression. "And they would. They would do whatever he told them to, because Master Liang is looked at here, _revered_ here, as nothing short of a deity. The Liang River not too far from here wasn't named after him for no good reason."

Though afraid to ask, because she had a fairly strong vibe about what the answers would be, Eona said, "What kinds of beliefs do the people here have?"

"For starters, they don't like anyone they consider 'impure'. This includes the young, old, small, poor, crippled, women…I didn't say any of it made sense. This is just how they are. They also very, very much hate contraires. Are you familiar with contraires?"

"Yes," Ryko and Eona said in unison. By this time, both could not hide the shock on their faces, even though they both knew they shouldn't be at this point. Where they came from, there certainly had been a fair amount of people who opposed contraires, some of which even firmly despised them.

"Have either of you ever known a contraire before?" Sho asked.

This time Ryko and Eona answered again in unison, but with a different answer each. "No," he'd said, just as Eona said, "Yes."

"Sorry, could you repeat that? Come again?"

"No—"

"Yes."

Ryko shot her a glare. Sho didn't seem to notice it, his eyes widening with intrigue. "Really? And—who was it?—if I may ask."

"Lady…Lady Lila." She had no idea why Lila was the first name that came to her. Maybe because it sounded like 'lilac' or 'lily', and Dela had a variety of flowers in her garden back at the settlement.

She remembered back when Lady Dela cared about Eona as a person, and not simply her gender.

_Lady Dela unfurled the fan and hid us behind it. "Ryko thinks my mouth runs as fast as a rickshaw's wheels," she said in a loud whisper that easily carried to the guard._

_"No, lady. I think that if Lord Eon is under your instruction in matters of court intrigue, he could not have a better teacher."_

_She widened her eyes at me. "Now he thinks I am an intriguer."_

_"I certainly find you intriguing, lady," I said, attempting to match their banter. Lady Dela nodded her approval__._

"Her mouth ran as fast as a rickshaw's wheels."

Sho burst into laughter, something Eona could hardly imagine anyone doing in a place like this. She'd remembered how Ryko had said 'Lord Eon' with such pride, like he was so proud of her—him. Now as she looked at Ryko she first saw confusion followed by recognition on his face.

"That is quite a charming fact you have about this Lady Lila," said Sho. "I'm sure she's a delightful woman."

Eona gave a lopsided smile, trying to match his mood. "Yes," was all she could say.

"Speaking of delightful women," he said, "Are the two of you from the Celestial Empire?" he inquired.

Eona and Ryko both stiffened slightly, but kept their expressions neutral.

"It's just that I've heard many great things about that place. I've heard they rely on celestial dragons that help take care of the lands and weather patterns. And that each dragon has a Dragoneye lord to summon them whenever things have gotten too rough. I ask about this, because I've heard that they've recently acquired a Dragoneye _lady_ as one of them in the last war that occurred."

Eona and Ryko continued to keep their expressions neutral, though now there was a highly uncomfortable air to the small cabin and both were clearly struggling not to look at each other and not to give anything away with their faces.

"Anyway, I just think it's incredible and amazing that after 500 years, a woman—a girl, she was so young, only sixteen—was able to do it. I've heard many a story about her." He smiled, though Eona wasn't sure she wanted to hear any of those stories.

"So," he said awkwardly when neither Eona nor Ryko had spoken, "it was a pleasure and an honor to meet you two, officially, and get acquainted with each other. You can get some rest now, as I'm sure you're still tired and reeling from shock of this place and…the events of yesterday." He got up and turned toward the door. Halfway out, he looked back and said, "Get some rest, Ping and Shin. For tomorrow, there will be a lot of work to do."


	11. Freedom

**Chapter 11—Freedom**

She lied back on the bed, folding her arms behind her head. The loose sleeves of her cloak fell, revealing her lower arms.

Eona heard frustrated sighs come from Ryko on the other side of the room as he moved around, looking for a comfortable position. Once it was super quiet, she knew he must've finally settled down. "It's weird," she heard Ryko say. "For all the lying you just did, you also spoke a lot of truth."

Eona tilted her head backwards, though she still couldn't see him.

"You're pretty good at this."

She almost sat up and turned around to retort, but his voice held no trace of its usual maliciousness.

"I have to be. I've always had to be. This was never a fun game of dress-up for me," she said. "And at this point, it's second-nature to me."

Ryko grunted.

"Ryko," she said.

"What."

"You might be able to repel the compulsion power if it's ever done to you, now that you've been brought back." She could hear the sharp intake of breath and hear him pivot his whole body in her direction. "Ido was able to do it, when I tried to compel him. He said it's because he was brought back to life. Maybe the same way you were, maybe not. But my compulsion had no effect on him whatsoever."

"And you believe him?"

"I don't know what to believe. But it didn't work on him. And you have that new ability to see things—" She cut off when she heard him hiss. He did not want to talk about this newfound power of his. "I know," she said. "It's scary having a power you didn't ask for and can't control."

Ryko grunted again, as if not believing it himself. "He is a Dragoneye," he said. "He might've gained some kind of power to ward off that kind of control. I'd rather you just not compel me to begin with."

"I'd rather that too," she said, trying to keep her voice even, "and so far, it's been working. It takes time to be able to control it completely."

Neither said anymore after that, and when it was completely dark out, Ryko blew out the candle and they both fell asleep sometime in the night.

_Step by step she moved closer to Eona. The warm, gold-laced Pearl was just within reach. Eona lifted her head, her large yellow eyes silently greeting her. The girl gently reached out and touched the Pearl, her small hands not nearly big enough to cup the entirety of the massive Pearl, her palms feeling the pulsating, unmistakable dragon power that lay within in. Eona, the Mirror Dragon, inched forward, her snout taking in a breath as she opened her mouth._

"_Eona."_

Eona jerked upright, nearly hitting her head on the ceiling of the bed. She saw sunlight flooding through the thin curtains at the windows. It felt like just a minute ago it'd still been nighttime. Ryko, who was already awake, noticed her sudden movement. "You seemed to be in a deep sleep."

"I had a bad dream." The dream wasn't really bad per say; but confusing and strange.

Had that really happened? Had her dragon really, literally, spoken to her?

There was banging on the door. It was so strong and relentless, Eona knew it wasn't Sho. Her first thought was Liang, until it flew open and a small figure darted in, slamming the door shut behind them. The person crouched in the corner of the room, and when their hood fell off, Eona could see it was a girl, probably no older than her. Long black tangled hair fell over her sweaty face, and her eyes nearly bulged as she stared in utter horror from Eona to Ryko. "Please," she whispered. "Don't tell them I'm here!"

Eona and Ryko gawked at each other and then back at the girl. Eona stepped slowly toward her, holding her hands up in a gesture of peace, to show the girl they meant no harm. "We won't hurt you," she said quietly. "Who is after you?"

"Them," she half-whispered, half-sobbed. "Master Liang and his men. They…I tried to escape. When one of them opened the door to deliver some food, I tried to escape. I need to get out of here!" Her sentence ended with a hushed shriek. She clutched the fabric of her cloak.

Eona took her and steered her toward the bed. She glanced back frantically at Ryko, but he was at as much of a loss as she was. There was nowhere to hide in here. Ryko took a peek out the window—there were men surrounding the whole cabin.

Suddenly there was a hard bang at the door. "Ping! Shin! We have reason to believe you are hiding someone in there! Now deliver her now or we will come in there and get her ourselves!"

Even if they were going to deliver her, they'd never been given the chance to. For immediately after the threat was spoken, the door was kicked in, almost completely off its hinges, and a flood of armed men poured in, pushing Eona and Ryko's backs against the wall and surrounding the bed. This cabin was not meant to hold more than two or three people.

They seized the screaming girl by the arms and dragged her out the door. All of the men had a hold on her even though it would've easily taken only one of them. The men acted as though Eona and Ryko were not even there. The two of them followed the men outside.

When they stepped out of the cabin, Eona saw a distraught Sho standing by the sidelines, already several pairs of arms holding him back. Everybody around the vicinity was being detained from getting involved, and Eona saw one large man step out of the crowd. A large, angry, familiar-looking man. Master Liang. And he had an ax in his hand, while the girl was pushed down to the ground, her hair being swept back from her head, exposing her neck.

Eona dashed forward, attempting to push her way through the men, ready to fling her body across the girl's. Or grab her and run. Or summon her dragon to put an end to all of this. She didn't quite know what she had been going to do, and she never got a chance. She didn't get very far as she was shoved back immediately, landing in Sho's arms as he caught her. She tried to lunge again, but he pulled her back.

"Ping, no!" Sho stepped in front of her, cutting her path off from the girl. Eona tried to race around him but he held her by her upper arms, his hands strong, his grip firm. She tried looking over his shoulder but he instantly spun her around to face Ryko, her back at him and Liang and the girl. "Do not look," Sho hissed in her ear. "Do not look, Ping. You don't need to see this."

"And as soon as you're finished with her, dump both parts in the river," she heard Liang say.

An ear-bleeding cry escaped the girl's mouth and it was abruptly cut short with a swift slicing sound. Eona would never know how it looked and she was grateful Sho had forced her to look in the opposite direction. Sho and Ryko, on the other hand, stood in front of her facing what was behind her. Ryko looked dismayed and Sho was visibly holding back tears. A brief sensation of pure terror that Eona had only felt a few times in her life tingled down her spine.

She walked back up the steps of the cabin, through the door, and over to the wall with such fluidity that it was almost as though she was gliding. When she stopped at the wall, Ryko walked around her to catch a glimpse of her face, stone-cold and rigid. Her body on the other hand, was visibly shaking like an unstable exterior of a badly-built cabin, ready to fall apart at the foundation, not unlike what had happened with the earthquake and mudslide days ago. The tension emanating from her gave him the impression that something else was about to happen. Like any movement he did would cause her to break. No longer being able to hold it in, Eona banged her head against the wall. Hard.

Ryko gripped her shoulders and pulled her back. "_Stop that._"

The door burst open and when Ryko spun around, ready to fight off whoever it was, and he let out a semi-relieved breath to see that it was Sho.

Sho looked from Eona to Ryko back to Eona again, worry creasing on his face. He signaled her to sit down on the bed, and she did so, Sho sitting beside her. Ryko knelt down on the ground on her other side, gazing up at her to make sure she wouldn't try to hurt herself again.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," Sho said. There was tension radiating from him too, mixing with her own. She would've thought that would've doubled the discomfort, but it didn't. "I'm sorry you had to witness that." He put his arm around her and she didn't flinch or squirm away. She didn't embrace it, but she didn't move away. The feeling she had when she sat beside him and when he whispered words of comfort was very secure. Somehow, without any logical reason, she just _knew_ deep in her gut that she could trust him. That he was on her side, no matter what. She longed to tell him who and what she really was. It almost pained her to keep the words in her throat that wanted so badly to come out. She'd never felt an irrational undeniable and unquestionable trust like this before with anyone, not even her own former Master when she had been Eon. But she held back, knowing her life was not the only one at risk here should her instincts be horribly wrong.

"Why…why would anyone do something like this?" Ryko said, barely above a whisper.

"Do they really need a reason?" Sho replied. His mouth was in a hard, firm line, all trace of sympathy gone, replaced by a hot wave of anger that matched Eona's toward what those men had done to that girl. "People like that don't need a reason to do what they do. They need nothing. They _feel _nothing." The heat changed to cold, dread rising up inside of her like a tidal wave. This is exactly what would happen to her if anyone here found out she was a girl too.

Sho looked down at her, the corners of his mouth rising a little in an attempt to smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I'll go get you both some food." He got up and the abruptness of his disappearing presence by her almost made Eona feel bare, in danger again. "One of you needs to get water from the well and bring it to Liang's cabin." He left.

Ryko took one look at Eona and said, "I'll go."

"No." She stood up. "I'll do it."

He gaped at her, and she continued, "The well is right out there."

"Eona, you need to sit down and rest for a little while. It's too soon."

"I'm okay," she said. She headed for the door, and paused to look back at Ryko, looking unsure. "Will you watch me from the front steps?"

"Yes," he said with a curt nod.

The well was in full view of the cabin and Eona had no reason to be afraid or think that someone would easily get their hands on her. Still, she faced the direction that was strictly where the well was, and never once looked back at the place where the girl had been slain, even though she knew every trace of what happened had been taken away. And still, she felt her skin go prickly all over, as she felt exposed and in plain sight, like any minute someone was going to point her out and yell, "It's a girl! A girl is on the loose!" when oddly she'd never felt this way in all her time of being Eon. But then, even the Celestial Empire wasn't as cruel as this place, even to girls and women. As she lowered the bucket into the well, Eona could almost feel a growl erupt in her throat. _How dare they. How DARE THEY._ There were so many things she wanted to say to these people about the way they treated girls and women. How they weren't useless at all, how they can serve just as much purpose in life as boys and men. How they were human every bit as much as they were. And most importantly, how no one deserved to be treated like an animal. Her bones felt like they would rattle and fall apart from the anger running through her veins. In a way though, it made her feel better. Less afraid, as she trudged around her and Ryko's shack to the cabin behind it, leaving the bucket on the floor inside the front door of the vacant place.

No doubt Master Liang was still over at the stable where there were more humans—girls and women of all ages—than there were horses. She took half a second to spit on the floor and walked out. When she returned to Ryko, she tried to hide the anger and hurt on her face, but she knew from his guarded expression that it was as plain as day to him.

* * *

In the early evening hours Eona and Ryko sat down with the small crate between them, each with a plate of corn bread and a cup of water that Sho had brought. They ate in silence, before Eona finally broached the subject.

"Do you think we can trust him?" she asked. Without saying his name, she knew he knew she was talking about Sho.

Ryko glanced up and shook his head. "No. I know he seems like a good man, but it could all be an act. For all we know he could be in league with Ido too. We've only known him for a little while."

_I only knew you and Dela for a little while,_ Eona wanted to say. But she knew it wasn't the same. They were all from the same empire, had the same goal in mind. Sho was from a completely different world. There were new worlds out there that Eona had never known about, that _none _of them had known about. Everything that had once seemed story-like to her was coming true, and everything that had always been familiar was fading away. And to Sho, he'd only heard stories about Eona the Female Dragoneye. He hadn't even known if they were real or not.

"I mean don't you think it's a little strange how everyone here seems to hold the same…principles except him? How does one grow up in an environment like this and turn out the complete opposite?" Ryko said.

"Maybe…maybe he was raised by someone else and they were different. He did say he lost his parents not too long ago. Maybe they were different from the people here." _There are different people everywhere, _she thought. _There are different people in our own empire. There are different people where Kat comes from._

"But still," Ryko said, "did he not seem a little _too_ friendly towards us? Asking us questions and whatnot? It might be nothing, I might be paranoid, but did it not seem a little unusual to you?"

Eona could only nod. It _did_ call for a little caution. Ultimately she still knew nothing about this Sho at all, or anyone around here.

She pushed her corn bread away.

"Eona—"

"Ping," she corrected, harsher than she'd intended.

Ryko widened his eyes in frustration and gestured his hands around the room, as if to say, _There's no one here but us!_

"I just don't want you to accidentally drop my name when someone is around," she said slowly.

"I'm getting used to it. Give me some credit here." He shoved the corn bread back towards her. "Ping, you need to eat. You haven't eaten all day."

Eona knew he was right even if her stomach didn't feel up to it. She took a piece off of the corn bread and put it in her mouth. And immediately choked, trying so hard to block out the sound she'd heard of the girl getting—

She gagged and slapped a hand over her mouth, then her other, squeezing her eyes shut and forcing the bread down her throat. Once it was fully down and she had nothing to cough up, she panted a little and forced herself to take deep breaths. She closed her eyes and counted to five, telling herself it was over, the worst was over.

She opened them and found Ryko staring at her in alarm. She pushed the rest of her corn bread towards him and he sighed.

"I'm going to go and free all of the girls and women," Eona finally said.

Ryko began to cough, nearly choking on his own bread. "Eona," he said sternly, and she didn't bother to correct him this time, "not only will you be risking and endangering our own lives, but you'll be doing the same to theirs. You saw what happened to that poor girl—they'll get killed immediately."

"They're going to get killed anyway," Eona said morosely. "Don't they at least deserve a _chance_? A chance to escape and survive? It's what I would want." She hadn't realized until the words came out that it was exactly what _she_ had done so long ago when the opportunity arose. Yes, she went through hell when she took the opportunity. Yes, it was a long and winding road of pain and mistakes and even sometimes self-hatred. But she didn't regret the road she took.

She looked at Ryko. He had an equally grim and sullen look on his face, but she could see in his eyes, in his hard gaze, that she was right. They had to try something. They could not leave their time here wasted. They couldn't find any of their companions here, but if nothing else, they had to try to save innocent people who were being hurt, and for no reason at all. Eona thought of Liam, the child back where her and Lillia had been taken. A black pit opened up in her heart. She could never look back if she didn't try something about this too.

And she had to try it right away.

* * *

Eona had awoken when it was still dark out, with only the stars and half of the moonlight to guide her across the fields. Though out in the open, it was easier to move inconspicuously with mostly darkness to conceal her. There was no one out and her dark robe blended in conveniently with the black night around her.

She happened across a large brown barn house with a couple of small caged windows and a door with a wide wooden latch across it.

The sight that met her was beyond horrifying.

Beyond the bars inside, there must've been twenty—maybe thirty girls and women, some elderly, some as young as five, and a few babies. All huddled together, in nothing to keep warm but rags and straw. They were filthy; their skin and hair was caked with dirt and mud. There was also blood mixed in, which left an unmistakable scent in the air. One of the women held a lantern up, and they all gawked at Eona, this random stranger come to visit them in the night. Some of them were crying silently. No sound came out of their mouths.

Just for good measure, she put a finger to her mouth, signaling them to keep quiet. She seized hold of the handle on the door and yanked it. She yanked as hard as she could, and still nothing budged. There didn't look to be a key holder anywhere, yet somehow the door was locked to both people from the inside _and_ the outside. She tried pulling the bars off the windows. Tried smashing them with a crate she found outside. Finally she made her way back to the handle and started smashing it with the crate. Over and over and over, until suddenly, something clicked. She heard the high sharp sound of a _creak_ and the door slowly swung open. She glanced up at the women. Their mouths slowly dropped open, the confusion of what was happening freezing them in place. Urging them out, the women gathered their children and took each other's hands, quietly but quickly making their way out of the barn, silent tears of both fear mixed with hope dripping down their faces.

Unfortunately too though, the ruckus she'd caused to get them out in the first place most definitely attracted attention. And now there were the dark silhouettes of figures on the horizon. Figures who, just from their postures and movements as they made their way down the hill toward her at a speedy pace, Eona could tell were angry.

* * *

When Eona burst into the cabin, Ryko lifted his head in alarm. "They know I'm a girl," she panted. "I don't know how they know, but they do. There's a horse stable if you continue out the back door and across the field."

"Did they catch you freeing the women?"

"Yes, but…that doesn't prove I'm a girl. Though maybe they suspected it," she said all in one breath.

Ryko was on his feet before she'd finished, gripping his sword and gesturing toward the bed. "Hide under there."

"They're after you too, Ryko. They know you're with me and they know you've been hiding me."

Cursing, Ryko took his sword out of its sheath and stopped at the back door of the cabin, peeking through the cracks. His face told Eona there were men right outside that vastly outnumbered them. He turned to her, grim-faced. "We're going to have to make a run for it. You stay right behind me."

Eona nodded.

After a deep breath, they threw the door open and went flying through the men, past the angry hands reaching out to them, and dodging the even angrier swords. Ryko swung his sword in every direction, hitting some men and causing others to jump out of the way furiously. They reached the open field and were running across it for their lives, a hoard of vicious people coming after them, Eona's cloak flopping around as she ran the fastest she'd ever ran. She thanked the gods that she was fast at all. It felt like this herd was right at her heels, right in the back of her heart.

She was grabbed from behind by two powerful hands, one gripping her waist and the other her arm. "I got her, I got her!—" Eona jabbed her elbow into him, prompting a loud, "Argh!" from the attacker, and kept right on running. There was now a large man right in front of her, ready to pounce. He was so wide he probably could fit Ryko and Kygo and Chart in him and still have room. Eona desperately wished she had her swords.

Ryko rounded him up by appearing behind him, sword raised. The man turned to face him, and snarled, "You were hiding her. You're just as despicable as her, if not worse." Spittle flew from his rotting teeth, and his fists clenched like the jaws of a crocodile. Since he was momentarily distracted by Ryko, Eona took this opportunity to drive her foot right where it would hurt the most…

The man screamed out in pure agony, answering the question of whether he was a eunuch or not.

She raced around him, knowing with every step she took that he was getting right back up on his feet again. She briefly glanced backwards to make sure Ryko was with her, which he was. By now they were running across the open field, probably ten, fifteen, twenty men chasing them now. Others were staring in confusion at all of the commotion.

They managed to pass a couple of cabins before they'd lost sight of their pursuers and reached a small shed. One of the doors was opened, and they ran in, hiding behind the closed one. Ryko was cautiously peeking around the corner while Eona observed their surroundings. It looked similar to the cabin she'd seen when she first arrived here, with all of the various weapons hanging from the wall. She grabbed the one nearest her, an ax.

Ryko turned and frowned. "You watch where you swing that thing."

She glared, then turned immediately when she heard a slight scuttling sound towards the back of the shed, where it was so dark, one could barely see anything. She'd thought there was no one there when they'd entered, but as she saw another flicker of movement in the shadows, she saw that there was someone else hiding in there as well.

An older man stepped out, hands clasped to his mouth, shock at seeing them clear just in the way he stood. Eyes widening, he began to howl and Ryko slowly brought his sword to his throat. The man fell silent. "Quiet," Ryko said softly, "quiet."

"Psss!"

Eona jumped and raised the ax, lowering it when she saw it was Sho, cowering behind his hands. "Easy!" he whispered. "Listen, I can lead you guys to safety. I can give you a way out of here. You just have to follow me."

Eona and Ryko glanced uncertainly at each other. Should they chance it? Did they have any better options? Surely they couldn't hide out here for long.

Biting her lip, Eona nodded. Soon enough they left the terrified old man behind and were on Sho's heels, Eona with her ax out, Ryko with his sword out. They looked around in all directions suspiciously to make sure no one had caught up with them while Sho kept his head straight, marching toward the horse stable with a purpose. They'd reached the inside of the large stable and he released a horse, leading it toward them. "This here is my Master's horse, but he has many of them," Sho said, gently rubbing the horse. "Some of them are extremely loyal to him, however this one doesn't care who he serves, just that you treat him right. Which I trust the two of you will do. You first," he said abruptly, taking Eona by the arm and gesturing toward the horse.

Eona tried to pull herself up on the horse but fell. Sho and Ryko helped her get up all the way, the horse bristled a little in alarm and confusion, but stood calmly nonetheless. Then Ryko got on, hoisting himself up on with no problem at all, and took hold of the reins. He turned and said, "Hang on to me, my Lady."

"Best of luck to both of you. Please take care…Miss." Eona's stomach jumped as she looked down and saw that Sho was looking her right in the eye. She could hear from the sharp intake of breath that Ryko was shocked as well. "I knew all along," he said quietly. "You must leave. This is not a safe place for you at all, young lady."

Before she had a chance to respond, someone yelled, "Hey, over there! In the stable!"

Eona took hold of Ryko tightly, Ryko commanded the horse as it veered away, reaching the forest. It kept going, faster and faster, the wind whipping against their faces, until there was no more sound except the horse's hooves beating against the ground.

* * *

They'd been traveling through the endless woods at top speed for over ten minutes now. From the right Eona heard a shout and she saw a dagger fling out and slice Ryko right in the shoulder. The horse cried out and lost balance. Both of them went tumbling down, Eona hitting the ground so hard her vision almost left her, a searing fire of pain exploding in her head. Then everything was quiet and Eona dared not speak or move for fear whoever attacked would sense her and attack again. She kept her eyes closed for a few seconds, and gradually the pain receded. When she opened them there were still black blotches in the corners that were fading. Ryko sat in front of her holding his shoulder tightly. His tunic sleeve was ripped at the shoulder and there was blood gushing out. Eona even thought she saw a bit of bone sticking out. She cringed as he tried to stand, hissing in pain.

"By the gods! I am sorry! I am sorry! My Lady…Ryko, is that you?" Three men approached them on a horse, one of them already jumping off and rushing over toward Ryko. But all had their weapons down, and the one in front, with the desperate look of remorse on his face, had his hands up. "I thought you were Ido's men."

"How did you—" Ryko hissed again, standing on shaky legs, and Eona reached out to try and steady him. "How did you come to that, Kenzo?" Ryko whispered furiously.

The man opened his mouth but no words came out. So these were some of the soldiers Ryko had been traveling with. Eona believed it was an honest accident, but he should've been more careful and more sure.

"Let me heal it," she said to Ryko. Ryko's face hardened, and Eona snapped, "What do you have to lose?"

She saw a window of defeat in his eyes. He knew she was right—at this point, his will was already vulnerable to her. What difference would it make if she healed him again?

"She's right, Ryko. If she doesn't, you may lose your arm. Or become infected. This is no small cut." Kenzo picked up the dagger and wiped the blood from it.

With one of the most reluctant nods Eona had ever seen, Ryko agreed. Putting her hand to his shoulder, Eona closed her eyes and reached into the energy world, seeing herself and Ryko as mere dots from the sky. The vanilla, the cinnamon, the orange…it was all there. Now all she had to do was pull all of her energy, all of her force, into one command: _heal._ Hand shaking, the skin above the bone in his shoulder began to rebuild and come together again, his whole arm fresh in no time. The wound was gone; there was no more blood. When she came back into the physical realm she opened her eyes and saw him move his shoulder and touch it delicately. He no longer looked to be in pain. Only shock.

She glanced over at the other three, who were equally awed and speechless. After a few seconds, Kenzo took a step toward her and quietly said, "That is amazing, Lady Eona. Simply amazing." She herself was still surprised by it. It must've been astounding for someone who has never seen it before but knew of it, knew of the Mirror Dragon and what kinds of magic came with it.

Ryko regained himself, stood up, and cleared his throat. "Lady Eona," Ryko said, gesturing them from left to right, "this is Shun, Kenzo, and Felix."

Shun was very tall and serious-looking. He gave a curt nod to Eona. One might have thought that he was glaring at her, but she figured that was the way he always looked, and that he was as tired and hungry and aching all over as everyone else was. Kenzo was a polar opposite; he wore a big proud smile on his face, as if never having expected to greet the Mirror Dragoneye in person. He was young, looked almost about Eona's age, with a sharp angular face that could look serious one moment, then be tamed just with a grin the next. "My Lady," he said, bowing down to his knees, "it is an honor to serve you."

Eona glanced at Ryko, who looked just as embarrassed, and she said, "You may rise." He rose up, giving another bow of his head her way.

The last man was Felix, who stood out drastically from the rest. He was very clearly from one of the Western tribes with different facial features, light-colored hair and eyes, and a heavy accent when he said, "Hello, Lady Eona." He looked to Kenzo questioningly, as if he was thinking, _Should I bow?_

Saving him from confusion or embarrassment, Eona responded quickly, "Hello Felix."

"Felix is with us, and can definitely be trusted," Ryko said. "Don't worry about him. We ran into him up north and he was a prisoner of our enemies. He fought with us, almost died. He is from their territory, but not one of them. He is on our side."

_Figures you say that about someone now, but felt completely different about Kat, a teenage girl. _Eona had to admit that Ryko was right though—even if Felix, who seemed harmless, were to pose a threat to them, he was vastly outnumbered at this point, and everyone had a firm eye on him. It would be stupid to try anything on them now, such as escaping to pass on information about them to someone else. And something about what Ryko said resonated very well with Eona: _'He is from their territory, but he is not one of them.'_ That was essentially what Ido was to them.

"Where did you get those daggers from?" Ryko asked.

Kenzo was going through his pack now, which Eona saw had a number of weapons—at least five daggers, a chain whip, and a sickle. A deep pang tightened her stomach—she took a deep breath to still the rising panic in her throat. She'd find her swords. Her ancestresses would not allow them to fall into the wrong hands. In Kenzo's pack, she also counted three arrows (but there was no bow in sight), two darts, and the next thing he pulled out caused her breath to catch in her throat.

"We found a pack of weapons buried in the woods north of here. Someone might've been coming back to get them, but it was a very stupid plan," Kenzo said, waving the hammer lightly. His smile vanished when he turned to Eona. "What is it, my Lady?"

Eona just realized she'd taken an involuntary step back. Lifting her chin, she said, "Nothing. Shall we—get going then?" she asked uneasily, her voice wavering a little bit as her eyes swiveled back to the hammer. Luckily Kenzo was putting everything back now. They all knew they had to start moving immediately to find someone else from their empire.

Before they mounted their horses, Eona saw Ryko over by Kenzo talking in a low voice to him. She couldn't catch everything but she heard him murmur the words, "…it's triggering to her…" Was he talking about the hammer? How would he know about that? She herself hadn't remembered the incident until right after she was first chosen as the Mirror Dragoneye, which though now seemed forever ago, was still years after the 'accident.'

As they mounted their horses, she didn't think too much about it and eventually forgot. All that mattered now was getting out of these woods and finding some sort of civilization. Shun had a little food with him, and Ryko still had a little bit of the cornbread wrapped up in a cloth that Eona held in the pocket of her cloak. And Felix had some water left in his canteen. Other than that though, they really had nothing, and this would all disappear at a dangerously fast pace.

While Kenzo, Shun, and Felix rode on the horse in front of them, Eona and Ryko rode on the horse behind them. It was very quiet; every once and a while Eona would hear Kenzo or Shun commune with each other, but they were too quiet and too far away for her to really make anything out.

At one point Ryko turned his head back and said, "I thought you said you were never going to use your dragon powers for anyone again."

"Would you believe me if I said I'd been lying?"

Ryko frowned, taking a while to respond. "It is a conundrum, my Lady."

By nightfall they'd covered much ground and were thoroughly exhausted. Even the horses had slowed down from a steady walk to barely footsteps, the most snail-like pace Eona had ever seen a horse move. Especially Sho's horse. She felt for it—it must've been confused, and rather terrified, at all that went down. And it must be wondering where its original owner is.

They stopped to rest for the night, then started up again immediately at dawn. The following day was agony. The climate reached a staggering temperature that left them all dripping with sweat and desperate for shade and water. Unfortunately, there was only a little water in the canteen, and they agreed that each was allowed one drop on their tongues (and one drop on the horses tongues) and not touching it again after that until they reached a place with fresh water. When that was, they didn't know. They traveled for hours, searching every inch of their vicinities, but there was none to be found. They were deep in the forest now, and the one droplet of water Eona had tasted felt like a fantasy that never happened.

It had to have been at least a hundred degrees outside. The horses were slowing down, and Shun at one point got off to guide the horse. He started walking ahead, a couple feet in front. The other four sat still on the horses, arms by their sides, trying to stay as still as possible in the unbearable heat. Eona had taken her cloak off and rolled the sleeves of her tunic up over her shoulders and saw that Felix had actually taken his shirt off completely, etiquette be damned. She still felt like she was wearing her cloak though, the heat leaving a permanent-feeling layer on her arms. Eona moved far back on the horse, trying to put as much space between her Ryko as possible, not wanting the heat from their bodies to reach each other. She had tried to gather up saliva in her mouth, but it was becoming more and more scarce. She could feel the dryness of her throat as she tried to swallow. Shutting her eyes, she willed herself to an imaginary place of ice and snow and wind and rain. There must be a place like that somewhere in the world. She was extremely tempted to reach out to her dragon and try to make it rain, and even brought up the suggestion a couple times but Ryko would vehemently reject it each time, citing her lack of experience as a risk, and even the other three agreed they should wait before taking that risk. _Wait until when?_ Eona wanted to scream. _Until the horses collapse and we're too dehydrated to even think straight?_

At one point Eona even imagined seeing something out of the corner of her eye—something bright and red. Her first thought was Kat, then a fire—but when she glanced over it was gone. She'd imagined it because there was nothing there or anywhere around it. There were no animals in this part of the woods, which made sense if there was no water source around, she figured depressingly. Her mind was probably starting to play tricks on her now due to the heat. She closed her eyes and went back to her imaginary zone.

Late in the day, just when the sun got to its hottest point, Shun came to a halt, the horses stopping in their tracks. Kenzo gave him a curious glance, and Shun held a hand out. He was looking at something in the distance with alarm in his eyes, darting around furiously. He walked forward, disappearing into the trees. The rest of them stayed in their places, sitting still and silent on their horses, wary. Too hot and tired to muster up much of a response, even though inside they wanted to know. Suddenly they heard running footsteps and Shun raced back out, clamoring toward them with bright, lively eyes. Eona almost leaned back, afraid he'd gone mad. "Water. There's water." He pointed toward the bushes. His voice was hoarse and dry, like he'd forgotten how to talk. They practically all had.

Kenzo gave him a warning look and said in an ominously low voice, "Shun, are you sure or are you imagining it? Because if there's nothing there, then by the gods I will—"

"There is water. Look! Look!"

Keeping all of their hopes pressed down to prevent a massive devastating disappointment, they followed him through the bushes and shrubbery. All of her dreams came alive when Eona saw a bright blue lake before them, sunlight shining off of it. She blinked several times to make sure she wasn't imagining it, and it was still there. She looked at the others. They couldn't all be wrong, could they? Especially Shun, who'd been so quiet and serious up until now. But the others looked just as mesmerized as she did.

Felix and Kenzo got off their horse and went to inspect the lake. Ryko tensed in front of Eona, clearly wanting to jump off and go to the lake himself. It seemed to take forever until Kenzo spun around with a smile stretching ear to ear and shouted, "It is fresh water! Fresh, clean, beautiful water!"

Eona imagined that if she weren't so exhausted and dehydrated, she would've wept for joy right now. While Shun splashed himself with water and loaded the canteen, Felix led their horse over to drink, and Ryko slowly got off the horse, looking cramped and achy. Kenzo came over and held out a hand. "May I help you, my Lady?"

Taking his hand, she climbed off Sho's horse and led it to water. They all sipped on the water, doused their faces with it, and soaked up the glory of hydration at last. Shun loaded the canteen several times, allowing them all to drink it empty, until they'd finally had enough and he loaded it again in preparation for their trip to come, whatever it brought. The horses drank long and good until one of them neighed quietly and seemed to have a little more will to walk now.

"I think we should take a rest," Kenzo said after a while, whom by now Eona assumed was the speaker of the group. The other two didn't say anything, but they didn't object either. Ryko, on the other hand, started shaking his head.

"We need to keep moving. We have no idea how far away the next civilization is. Pretty soon we'll run out of resources again and be stranded here."

"What do you think, Lady Eona?" Kenzo asked. They all turned to her.

Eona took a deep breath, not comfortable that everyone wanted her to make the decision for them. "Ryko," she said, turning toward him, "I don't think it would hurt to rest for just a little while. If the horses don't get any respite, they'll be too tired to walk anymore."

Kenzo nodded with a trace of smile on his mouth for agreeing with him, and there was a faint glare in Ryko's eyes. Eona turned away. It seemed she could never say anything without pissing him off.

She offered him the cornbread in her cloak, but he declined. "You need it more than me," was all he said and he and Felix went to rest with the horses. Shun was by the lake squeezing the water from his shirt, looking strangely melancholy after their wonderful discovery. "Thank you," she said as he walked by. Either he didn't hear her or was not in the mood to convene, because he didn't turn an inch.

"Don't mind him," Kenzo said, coming to sit next to her under the tree, where there was shade. "He is very reluctant to take credit for even great accomplishments like this. He is not quick to revel in thanks and compliments—he has always been very humble. Ever since—" He stopped and glanced up at Eona, hesitant. "It probably is not my business to be telling you this, my Lady. But between you and me, Shun and I grew up together, living in the same village, best friends. And he was always a lively boy, in fact he was almost just like it again just a little while ago when he found this lake." He paused, looking down and frowning. "But about twelve years ago, his family met hard times and was in serious need of more food, and he wanted to help their impoverished state by becoming…the Rat Dragoneye apprentice."

Eona gasped quietly. They all knew who it went to.

"And so ever since then he's felt like a failure," Kenzo said. "I've tried to tell him time after time that it is not his fault, that fate and destiny had a different plan. That he did what he could, and the rest was entirely out of his control. But he keeps blaming himself, for his family's struggles, for not getting chosen. Now he's very antsy about being proud of anything." Kenzo sighed. "Have some food," he said, handing her a few berries and some bread. "This is our ration."

"Thank you," she said. They ate in comfortable silence.


	12. Join Me

**Chapter 12—Join Me**

When they started up again, it was a surprisingly short journey. The lake must've been a sign for what was to come, because before they knew it, they'd reached the end of the woods, opening out to a hill in which at the top stood a small fortress-like structure with a tower. How long it was hidden there and if anyone had ever known about it before or not was a mystery. It was just another one of those hidden undiscovered places in the world such as the lake Eona had taken Kat to. She had never truly realized how big the world was, despite knowing how many mysteries lay ominously in its bounds.

There were a few figures walking up the hill toward the fortress, exiting from other parts of the woods. The five of them hid among the bushes, squeezing together so closely they practically became invisible. The figures came in pairs; it would always be a person with their arms tied behind their back, and a soldier right behind them, holding their arms tightly, marching up the hill toward the black front double doors into the building.

All of them glanced at each other, seeming to mentally reach an agreement—they had to get in somehow and see what was going on. Maybe they'd finally find their allies.

"Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Kenzo whispered. They were huddled together, forming a plan. There didn't appear to be anyone around, but they wouldn't chance it.

"I think the only way to do this is if we blend in with them. Maybe if two of us could disguise ourselves as soldier and prisoner, we could get through unnoticed," said Shun. "Ryko, I think you should be the one to lead someone up, not all of them are dressed in any particular way, but they're all relatively big. And for the prisoner…" They glanced around uncomfortably at each other, until all eyes laid on Eona.

"No," Kenzo said firmly, looking around at the three of them. "_No!_ We are not using Lady Eona for bait."

"Kenzo," Eona said calmly, "I'll be fine." He gave her an incredulous look. "Ryko and I will be together. Nothing will happen. We all have to trust one another."

"But shouldn't we stick together?"

"This is the only way to do it. We can't all go in at once, it will look entirely suspicious. The only thing is, how are we going to hide ourselves in case someone inside or outside sees us and recognizes us?"

"Put your cloak back on and pull the hood up," Ryko said.

"But what about you? If Ido's here, he will easily recognize you."

Ryko bit his lip, thinking for a moment. "Fine. I'll put the cloak on, and you just take down your hair and try to keep your head down. No one should easily recognize you that way."

Eona nodded, and glanced at the others. They all gave a reluctant nod, even Kenzo, and soon Ryko and Eona were in position, his hands holding her wrists firmly behind her back, her hair hiding her face. They emerged from the trees and started walking up the steep hill. At the time there was no one else around them, but they couldn't be sure if someone was looking out the few rows of windows toward the top of the tower.

Hearing a shuffling sound to her left, Eona inconspicuously glanced over and saw a girl getting marched up the hill not far away from her. She had a tight bright braid tied at the back of her head—

Instantly Eona realized she wasn't Kat. The person had a lanky wiry built, but was taller than Kat and had sharper planes on her face. She was wearing a long black dress where the bodice clung to the body and the dress itself seemed to flow out freely. The hemline ended at about the girl's toes. The sleeves clung to her arms but seemed to widen towards the ends as well, ending just above her fingertips. They were made of a see-through mesh-like material that made the arms and the very outline of them completely visible even though they were technically covered. The bodice and rest of the dress were made of a deep black soft satin-like material that looked like it could get damaged very easily with just one wrong move.

Upon closer inspection, Eona could see that she was wearing small pearl earrings and a large necklace encrusted with several diamonds that caused a blinding light from the sun reflecting off of them. She was barefoot.

They were close to the door now. The soldier steered the miserable-looking girl up ahead of them and through the double doors. Ryko yanked her gently. "Head down," he hissed in her ear. Eona faced down. They hadn't taken a step before he grabbed her and pulled them down behind a bush right by the door. "Someone's in there, and I think it's Ido," Ryko whispered.

Just as he was saying this, fast heavy footsteps came toward them and a grinning triumphant face appeared, making Eona's stomach dropped.

"Well if it isn't my old friends," Ido said quietly.

Ryko hissed, and suddenly three to four men were on them. They separated them, one of them seizing Eona's arms and practically dragging her across the ground, while it took the other three to hold down Ryko and then haul him up after her. He tried to reach for her, but was unsuccessful. They ripped the cloak from him and dragged both of them around the bush and in through the doors, all the while with Ido standing their watching as though he were watching a leaf fall from a tree.

When they entered Eona was underwhelmed. All that made up of it was a hallway leading to a door-less opening to the outside that Eona could easily see from the entrance, and a spiraling staircase leading up to who knew where. The hand railings were adorned with wooden snakes that curved around and around all the way up the stairs. All down the hallway were small mirrors and paintings that lined the walls. There was a room to the right where she was swiftly turned toward, and she could hear Ryko and the other soldiers shuffling behind them. They came across a single door that looked sealed shut, and the soldier banged on it a couple times. There was a grating sound from the other side, as though the door was jammed and couldn't be opened, until it finally burst open from the other side by more soldiers. When Eona and Ryko were marched in, their mouths dropped at what awaited them.

* * *

Many of their fellow villagers were locked in a cage, imprisoned together in the small dirty space. There were three cages, but all of them were crammed into one, nobody able to not touch someone else. Behind her she heard a scuffling sound; she turned, the soldier's grip still fastened to her, and saw Shun, Felix, and Kenzo being whisked in. Shun and Felix were looking down. Kenzo gave her a regrettable look. "My Lady, I am sorry. We have failed."

"You haven't failed," she said quietly. Ido just succeeded.

She glanced back across the room and saw something that made her breath catch in her throat. There were her beloved swords hanging on the dirty gray brick wall, as if for display. As if obtaining them was a personal victory for Ido.

The soldiers threw the five of them into the cell, causing them to slam into people. The other prisoners were just as shocked to see them. Dela caught Eona and squeaked, "Ryko!" Eona felt the cold steel of the bar door shut behind her, pressing into her back. It was much too crowded in here.

There was a lone figure crouched in the corner, head lifting up slowly, hands around her knees. Eona could see the tightness of her muscles, her clenches white fists. It was as if she were willing herself to disappear into thin air.

"By…the gods," Eona said, glancing wide-eyed at Kat up and down. _What happened?_ But she knew what happened. As she walked over slowly to Kat, she reached out gently, thinking any kind of touch would shatter her. Half of her fiery red hair had been ripped out of her head, leaving some dried red blood on her scalp in its wake. Kat had three of her fingers chopped off, a mess of bruises all over her face, ranging from blue to yellow to black, and her left arm was burned severely, from her shoulder where part of her shirt was ripped off all the way down to her wrist. Eona stopped in front of her, knelt down, and gently took her maimed hand in hers. A thick layer of bandages and gauze covered it, stained with dried blood. Kat continued to look at her wide-eyed and Eona took her in her arms and held her, massaging the back of her head. She closed her eyes, silently assuring Kat that she would never let her out of her sight again.

"She won't let anyone touch her except her brother and…you," said Dela.

Eona lifted her head. "Her brother?"

"Hello Eona," came a familiar voice. Dimitri stepped forward. His voice was as she remembered it, but it didn't match how he looked now. He was the person she'd thought looked like Kat—the person she'd thought was a girl the soldiers were marching in earlier before they'd been captured.

"Dimitri," she whispered in shock, taking in his whole appearance. He really looked very feminine, no matter how he spoke.

"My name used to be Dimitria," he said, yanking the braid out of his hair, shaking his head about, and ruffling it until it was a mess of curls. He ran a hand through his hair and pulled it up into a loose bun at the back of his head. Then he took the earrings off, grimacing in pain as they pulled on the sensitive skin, and threw them to the ground in disgust. He reached back to unclasp the necklace, having trouble. Dela came over and started unclasping it for him. "Thank you," he murmured.

"So you're a…" Eona began.

"A contraire, as your people call it," he said, "which is better than nothing at all. My people don't have a name because they like to prefer it just doesn't exist at all." He shook his head. Dela finally got the necklace off and instead of tossing it to the ground like Dimitri probably would have, she carefully balled it up and put it in one of the pockets of her robes.

"What is going on here?" Chart asked. "How did Ido recruit such a large army? How did they find us all? And how did he break out in the first place—"

"Oh trust me," came that all-too-familiar, crawling, serpentine voice. She saw his shadow emerge through the door. When he stepped in, every guard in the room bowed in a kowtow as if Ido were there savior. "You will not be able to do the same."

* * *

"Boy do I have a story to tell you all.

"I came back a long time ago, quite possibly right after I left you in the first place. The land cannot survive without the dragons. Mine was the first and it took several months for the rest to follow its lead. Yours was the last," he said, looking straight at Eona. "The land has never been without a dragon before. You made a vicious mistake by giving the Pearl back to the dragons. You could've joined me. You _should _have joined me. You, ultimately, are the reason for the disasters. Yet again." He paused. "And when I returned, I knew I'd have to take care of the other Dragoneyes as soon as they came back. And take care of them I did. And I knew I didn't stand a rat's ass—no pun intended—of exacting my rightful power and revenge over the empire, with everything just falling into place again, and your happy ever after." He let out a low laugh, showing what a joke he precisely thought the whole thing was. "You couldn't have seen it coming. I couldn't have planned it better. Instead of returning to my rightful empire, I took off for the West, displaying my skills as much as needed…oh, you should've seen their faces. All of them from that point forward hailed me like a god. They'd never seen anything like it. You'd have thought I resurrected the dead." He walked over to the cage and stopped when he was close enough to touch the bars, to reach through them. He looked at Eona, seemed to stare right through her so long that it was as though he'd turned into a statue.

Then, without moving his eyes from her, he snapped his fingers.

Two heavyset, pale guards marched up to the cage and unlocked it. They promptly went inside and grabbed the first two people they saw—Eona and Lillia. There was a ruckus among the prisoners who tried to keep the guards from pulling them out by their arms, but the fact of the matter was that the guards had weapons and they didn't. There were also other guards awaiting to step forward should they be needed to stop the commotion.

One guard held Eona with both her arms pinned behind her back in one beefy hand. She went up to about his chest. She was almost hyperventilating during the quickness of it all, knowing full well that something terrible was about to happen. The other held a screaming Lillia across the room and threw her over to Ido.

_Swash!_ The blade of Ido's sword slashed across Lillia's stomach, a river of blood pouring out immediately and oozing through her fingers when her hands flew up to try to staunch it.

Eona flew out of the guards grasp and over to her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders securely, while placing her other hand near Lillia's abdomen. She closed her eyes and called upon the power of her dragon, ridding Lillia of both the wound and the pain, healing her insantly. Lillia's face went back to its normal color and she was no longer panting or holding her stomach. She stood up slowly, a little sweat still left on her face, but seemingly unharmed.

Eona looked grim and turned away from her mother. As she stood up, seeing nothing but red in the edges of her vision, she heard Ido cackling. "I just love a woman in power."

In a swift motion that was perhaps a combination of her anger and her dragon power, Eona strode across the room and delivered a punch right in Ido's mouth, nearly knocking out a couple teeth in the process. She thought he might've stumbled back, but she never got a chance to get a real look. The two guards jumped her, gripping the fabric of her robe harder than before, so hard she could feel their fingers pressing into her skin. Before she knew what was happening, she was being thrown back into the cell and almost toppled into Dela and Ryko. Both of them awkwardly tried to both move out of the way and put their hands out to stop her at the same time. She just went with the flow, catching her balance and walking past them without a word. She walked all the way to the far corner of the cell, stopping because she could not go any further, so instead settled for folding her arms and staring at the wall. She felt like a little kid having a tantrum, but she could not bear to look at anyone right now, especially her mother.

She'd healed her. She'd healed her mother. Now she had her will in her hands.

Kat place a tentative hand on her shoulder. She was right beside Eona and spoke in her own language. "Eona?" she whispered. She moved her hand down from her shoulder to Eona's hand, taking it in her own. Dimitri tried to pull Kat away, but Kat swatted at him and he just folded his arms, shaking his head at her stubbornness.

"What…what have I done?" Eona whispered, her lip almost quivering. Kat could see the stark clear pain in her eyes as she refused to look at anyone or anything but the wall.

Eona felt another hand on her shoulder. It was Lillia. "Eona?" she said in such a quiet voice she almost wondered if she imagined it. Eona turned slowly to face her mother, her back still mostly to everyone else. She pretended they weren't there even though she knew they were all staring at her. At this point she was used to the unwanted attention, but that didn't make it any more pleasant.

"Eona," Lillia said again, holding the sides of Eona's head and face in both hands.

"Mother." Her voice cracked. She blinked several times. "Mother," she said again, trying but failing to keep her voice even. "Do you…hate me?" Eona whispered.

"No…I love you." She leaned forward and kissed Eona softly on the top of her head. "You didn't have to do it, but you did it because you love me. How can I fault you for that?"

Eona felt hot tears slowly rise to her eyes. She tried as hard as she could, summoning all of the strength she had left in her and the willpower she'd had when she lived her life as a boy, to not cry. But Kat, who was the only other person in her line of sight, could see her face crumble as her mother took her in her arms. She never thought she'd see Eona like this.

"You did what you had to do, Eona," Rilla said quietly. "You didn't have a choice."

"Eona," Dimitri said. "Kat has told me that you've been conditioned to think that healing the people you love is a curse. It is not a curse. It is a gift. That you can save people from certain death…I've never seen anything like it," he breathed.

"And I trust you," Lillia said. "I know you're not going to hurt me. Isn't that why you healed me in the first place? You do it because of the love you have for others, not because you want to control them."

"One has to ask him or herself…what if it was my own mother?" Dela said this so quietly that for a second Eona didn't think anybody heard her. She looked up at the grim expressions on Ryko and Kygo's faces. Both their mothers met a most gruesome demise, and while Eona didn't know whether or not they themselves would use a healing power given the chance if they were in her shoes, she knew it would at least be extremely tempting.

* * *

Exhaustion and fatigue had settled over the prisoners as the day went on. Most had lost track of the time and there were barely any windows or holes or cracks in the wall to show them whether it was day or night out. A lone lantern hung from the ceiling, giving some, but dim, lighting. Everybody was curled up and either leaned against the wall or on somebody else. Kat was with Dimitri. Chart and Rilla were together. Dela and her father and Ryko and Mama Momo had all formed a group tightly in the corner. And Eona and her mother were together in another corner, Lillia lying back against the wall, cradling Eona's head in her arm and letting it rest gently on her chest, which Eona could feel the delicate rise and fall of. She also heard a rumble somewhere beneath her, around her elbow that she was making an effort not to jab into her mother.

"Are you hungry?" she whispered, lifting her head.

"No," her mother answered. "Well. Maybe a little. But only a little. There's no use complaining. Soon enough I'll forget about it completely."

"I'll go ask for some bread," Eona said, getting up. She said it even after seeing across the small space that Ryko, Dela, and Chart seemed to be the ones that had it or were passing it out. But she was willing to swallow her pride and ask them—the very people she'd rarely had any good encounters with lately—for some bread for her mother.

When she tentatively walked over to where the group was sitting and they all looked up in surprise, she awkwardly said, "Um, may I have some bread please? My mother is hungry." It was weird, she thought, how she didn't normally have a problem with speaking to a public crowd, but now all of the sudden in this intimate gathering, she was slightly embarrassed.

Before anyone could respond, Kenzo arrived in front of her and offered an entire roll of bread. "For you, my lady," he said, bowing as he held it out. Eona felt herself flush. She still, after all this time, was not used to being called 'My lady' by anyone or having them bow to her. She supposed she never would be. But then, that was what Kat liked about her, wasn't it? _"You never let any of the fame and popularity get to your head like some people would. You're like just another girl, just another citizen. Just another person. People can approach you without being scared of what they're supposed to say, how they're supposed to bow."_

"You don't need to give me the whole roll," Eona said, noticing Felix out of her side vision gladly holding up another roll to offer her. "Just a little will be fine."

Kenzo tore a little bit off and handed it to Eona. "Thank you Kenzo," she said. She also gave a nod of acknowledgment to Felix, who smiled in return, and headed back to her mother.

"Thank you," Lillia whispered, taking the bread.

* * *

It wasn't long before Ido came back with several guards in tow, two of them flanking him when he stepped forward. Many started standing up as he undid the cage, though much more wary and cautious this time, knowing there was trouble to come. In a whirlwind of chaos and confusion, at least three guards came in and seized both Ryko and Eona by the arms, practically dragging them out by their feet. There may have been more. The guard who had Eona had hands so big they wrapped all the way around her upper arm as though it were a twig.

Once they were out of the cage, the guards held Eona across the room from Ryko. It took three guards to hold him tightly enough to stay still, and they pushed him to his knees on the ground, one of them with their hand on his neck, pushing it forward. He held his head up as best he could, glowering eyes on Ido, who'd made his way to the center of the room between them in the flurry of shouts and struggles and scraping boots on the floor.

"Compel him," Ido said.

"What? No!" Eona's heart was beating against her ribcage and throat, and it seemed to be pumping sweat out of face.

Ido unsheathed the sword strapped across his back and held the blade to Ryko's throat. "Compel him, or I'll—" He cut off, a grin forming on his face, and he slowly lowered the sword. "Compel him," he said again, much quieter this time.

Eona narrowed his eyes. Was he going to hurt Ryko if she didn't?

When she didn't say anything, Ido, who'd moved a few feet away from Ryko now, repeated, "Compel him," in that same calm, nonchalant manner.

"No."

Ido looked at the guard holding her and raised his eyebrows, as though giving him the cue to do something. The guard promptly threw her to the ground and her face hit the floor with a loud bang. Before she could move, he rolled her over onto her back and dug his knees onto her chest. Eona sputtered and gasped, her burning lungs begging for air. Ido was right there now too, grabbing her arms and holding them down on the ground, his face in hers, upside down in her vision. His hair fell into his cold eyes, giving him a more eerie look. "Compel him! Compel him, compel him, _compel him_!"

She could hear people screaming and shouting things in the background, but couldn't quite make out the words. She heard one voice stand out from the rest, probably because she was physically closer to this person than any of the others. "Eona, just do it. Compel me. I'm telling you that you can. That is my _choice_."

The man drove a heavy foot into her ribcage that would take more than just a short time to recover from.

"The funny thing is, if she'd done it when _you_ were in danger, you'd be a raging bull about it!" Ido said, and Eona knew he was smiling even though she could no longer see him. She could just hear the delight in his voice. He'd since gotten up to who knew where while the guard still had his knees on her chest, not hard enough to crush her or suffocate her, but enough to leave her gasping for air. Try as she might to push them off, they were like boulders on her, and her hands and arms may as well have been birds. "So Eona," Ido said, his voice like syrup—deceitfully sweet, but one knew it would be harmful in the long run, "are things different when you're the one at cost? When you're the one on the line?" The guard got up off of her now and was pacing around. Both of them went around her in circles like lions or bears toying with their prey before pouncing on it.

Ido slowly walked over to where Eona lay, his footsteps echoing off the hard floor. His calm and peaceful stance drastically contrasted with the other violent men in the room. He knelt down and gently cupped her cheek with his hand. "Why won't you compel him?" he said in an eerily soft voice. It was so quiet that it was barely above a whisper, yet everyone could hear him. "Don't you like having power? Doesn't it feel good?"

"Only…when used…for…the…right reasons," Eona managed to get out breathlessly.

The expression on Ido's face turned to rage, confusion, and disappointment all at once. Like a parent finding out their beloved child had done something to disobey them. Or had spoken back to strict orders. Ido now put his hand around Eona's chin, anger in his grip. "Is this not a good reason?" His voice was almost shrill. "I thought this was what you wanted. Didn't he hurt you?"

"You…hurt me…m-more."

Ido rose up and kicked Eona in the ribs. She contorted, the blow sending piercing pain through body, and she could hear a scream behind her. Dela.

"Shut that bitch up," Ido snarled, glaring at the cell of prisoners. He glanced back down at Eona, grabbed her, and drew her up. He turned her around, the two of them facing a giant mirror on the wall that Eona swore hadn't been there before, his face placed next to hers. He seemed to be able to summon things out of nowhere. Perhaps he summoned a key to unlock himself out of prison. Or maybe he was able to compel the guards into doing it for him. Or maybe he could shroud himself in invisibility from everyone else. What she knew for sure was that he could reject compulsion, and that in and of itself, was a highly dangerous power.

She could see her face in the mirror, full of fatigue, his smile cunning. "Join me," he said in her ear. His voice was rough. "We can do great things together. You'll never have to feel inferior to anybody again. You'll never have to bow to these people again."

"She will _never _join you!" Kygo shouted.

Ido's attention shifted towards Kygo. He stared at him for a full five seconds, as still as a stone, before snapping his head toward another guard who promptly strode over to the cage. Using a key and yanking the door open, he pulled Kygo out by the hair—_by the hair_—and threw him to the ground as though he were a rag doll. Eona's gut told her the thing that had been in the edges of her mind for a while but that she'd been denying—that Ido had seized omnipotent power when he'd returned, and that he could even share it with his comrades should he want to. There was no way that gangly guard could possibly manhandle another man like that. Not Kygo.

Kygo immediately attempted to get up, only to have Ido's foot push his head back down to the ground, face first. "Are you _really_ the true reigning emperor you believe yourself to be, and that everybody else believes you to be? Because you sure don't look much like an emperor to me."

Kygo hissed, spitting on Ido's boot. Ido delivered a fearsome kick to Kygo's face, a sharp shattering sound making almost everyone in the vicinity flinch. Kygo's nose was clearly broken, blood dripping down his face, into his mouth, onto his robes. He panted angrily, standing up on his own now, though not without noticeable pain. His face was pale and taught, as if awaiting Ido's next move. But all Ido did was laugh.

"You're no emperor," he said disgustedly. "You're just a looney old dog just like your father was. If anybody should be emperor…but no. There need not be an emperor. Or an empress." He turned back to Eona and smiled, then frowned. "Eona," he hissed, "if you will not give up your power to me, you have to suffer consequences. But you know what I've decided?" He held a finger up and there was a glint in his eye that created a cold dread slowly growing in the pit of Eona's stomach. "I've decided to give you one last chance. I will, once and for all, do the very thing that no one else has been able to do—I will remind of what terrible things these people have done to you."


	13. Day One

**Chapter 13****—Day 1**

The three narrow cages were about six feet on all sides and now Ido took some of the prisoners out of the first cage and spread them out a bit. In the first cage remained Dela, her father, Ryko, Chart, Rilla, Vida, Momo, and Tozay. Kat, Dimitri, Lillia, Shun, Kenzo, Felix, and Kygo were all crammed into another cage. Eona was alone in the third cage. None of them had the rope removed from their hands, each pair tied together in the front. Some of the men had to crouch or sit down as their heads grazed the bars on the top anytime they tried to stand all the way up. There were a couple guards standing outside of the cages, and Eona could see that they also had keys hanging from their belts and could get in or out at any time. With no weapons, and being vastly outnumbered, none of them could fight them for a chance to escape.

There was also a large crate centered in the room just beyond the cages, so that everybody could see it clearly. The light from the glass roof shone and bounced off the metal handle of the crate, creating a bright glare.

And outside all of them, Ido paced around like a lion ready to hunt and feed should any of them somehow burst free.

Ido clapped both hands together. "So now, boys and girls. And…Eona," he added, eyeing her mysteriously. "Let's get started."

Eona tiredly raised an eyebrow. What did he mean, 'And Eona'?

"Because Eona here is never really who she says she is, is she? Eona is gender-confused, doesn't know if she's a girl or boy…maybe Eona is just an 'it'," Ido continued. "Certainly she must be lower than a human him or herself, considering the massively differing values, or lack thereof, placed on her. So let's just go with it and see where it gets us." He smiled and nodded his head, as though he were a teacher beginning to prepare a new and exciting lesson for a group of eager students.

"In the course of approximately a year and a half," he continued, "Eona has committed treason of unmatched levels. She has committed four human crimes on a large scale. The first we will be addressing today is the crime of Lying. When one Lies, one either conceals information from certain parties, gives the wrong information, or pretends to be someone they are not." Ido turned and his cat-like eyes seemed to grin on their own at Eona. "All of which, our dear beloved Eona is well-versed at. She is also well-versed at the other kind of Lying, which is to Lie with the enemy, but that's an entirely different thing altogether.

"This brings us back to her gender confusion. Wait!" he cried out so loud and sudden, a few of the prisoners jumped. "Wait…maybe, she wasn't doing it to protect herself or because she was deeply and deathly afraid of what would happen to her. Maybe it wasn't about her well-being of her former master, Lord Brannon, who'd kept her identity a secret as well. Maybe, it was all an act of selfishness—like how all her acts are, by default—and therefore she was doing it out of sheer amusement rather than any real purpose at all."

Eona gaped at him. "What are you going on about?"

Ido clasped his hands together. "Like I said, My Lady, lying is very dishonorable—"

"We know what the hell lying is," Kygo growled. "Now get to the point and stop pretending to be some kind of Master or guru."

"Well, I just figured that since Eona has committed the act of Lying—on several occasions—there will be a punishment in which I'll enact. That punishment will be that there is no food ration for her tonight. Everybody else will get theirs. In fact…" he held up a finger and turned away for a moment, pulling out a key from his tunic and unlocking the crate. He rummaged through it, pulling things around in a picky manner, obviously looking for something very specific.

_What is in there? _Eona dreaded.

When Ido turned back, his arms were full of small netted bags that he dropped onto the ground. She squinted her eyes, and upon closer inspection, saw that they contained different nuts, fruits, breads, and meats. They looked absolutely appetizing, almost as splendid as the meal she'd had in the woods earlier. But she couldn't be sure if they were safe—knowing Ido, he'd poisoned them.

Glancing over at the two cages beside her, she realized that many of the people here hadn't eaten all day, probably in a few days. She saw their mouths watering, the looks of hunger on their faces. Chart eyes seemed to dilate at the sight of the food, Dela swallowed, and Eona could've sworn she'd heard Kat's stomach rumble. A few others held their stomachs discreetly. They couldn't wait to get their mouths and teeth on something other than water, on solid food.

"These are some pretty sweet treats right here," Ido boasted, sweeping a hand across the bags on the ground. "I'm sure it would be a damn shame to sleep tonight without anything in your pitiful little stomachs. But since most of you have been good—" he glanced sharply Eona—"most of you…I'll go ahead and award you with some of these treats. Because you haven't done anything wrong. Anything wrong at all."

He gathered up an armful of the sacks and stopped at the first cage. One of the guards pulled out his keys and let Ido in. Ido wormed his way in, pushing against everyone non-discreetly so as to be at the very center. The prisoners glared at him, half out of repulsion, half out of fear.

Ryko looked at Ido as if he were a giant insect. Though his hands were bound, he lunged toward Ido. "Ryko, no!" Dela cried. Ido kicked him straight in the crotch. Ryko stumbled back, hissing in pain as Dela and Momo tried to reach out and help him. Ido, who had momentarily had a scathing look on his face, took a deep breath and regained his composure and neutral expression. He handed Ryko a pouch, one that had nuts and berries inside of it. Ryko looked at it like it was a fungus, and glanced up suspiciously at Ido.

"Ryko," he said, "for ambitiously informing others about the _truth_ about the Lady and her compulsion power—about how she _purposefully _controlled you out of her own free will, and always took great pleasure and pride in it, each and every single time." Ryko stared at Ido. Ido shrugged and dropped the bag on the ground in front of Ryko. "It's not like she even had the decency to apologize or feel bad about it afterwards, is it? She was never concerned about your well-being…she never even _cried _about it happening," Ido said, eyes slitting and glancing over at Vida for a moment. Vida flinched and looked over at Eona through the cage in between them. There seemed to be a silent awareness that hung in the air between them—Vida had been the only one who'd seen Eona break down and sob after Kygo had forced her to compel Ryko. He'd taken Ryko's weapon away from him, and Yuso had pulled out his own, ready to slice and dice Ryko if Eona didn't take his will. He'd been humiliated—both weapon and will taken, and when she'd told Vida about it later on, she'd asked her to go see if Ryko was okay, leaving her name out of it. Eona always half-wondered, half-didn't-want-to-know just what his response had been. It was so long ago, back when she still thought she had a chance to save their friendship. Back when she still thought he would forgive her for things out of her control.

"Eona does not compel people on purpose," Lillia stammered. She spoke louder and more clearly, refusing to show the fear Eona knew was in there. "She hates it, and always feels fully responsible for the pain that it causes others, regardless of other peoples' parts in it. And she only heals people to help them. She has never done so to have a power over them she never wanted in the first place."

"I don't get to decide what the facts are, lady," Ido said unkindly. "I just report them. But you're the ones who made them."

"I never once said that she does it deliberately," Ryko said uncertainly.

"Yes, but you did say she owed you after one of those first incidents where you pretty much stoned her until she—" Ido cleared his throat, noticing his façade beginning to break. After he resumed a calm expression again, he said, "I mean, after she, of course, went out of her way to compel you with absolutely no provocation whatsoever. For absolutely no reason, no purpose. And this, after she almost died after saving your life."

Ryko's angry face began to falter. "I—I—"

"You also said that you knew her motivations when she combined her power with mine to prevent the cyclone from hitting your boat. Along with her motivations to heal Chart. Yes, you knew the facts, Ryko, it was all to hurt people. Right? You know all the right things to say and when to say them, and _who _to say them to!"

Eona was beginning to feel nauseous, yet somehow she knew it wasn't from exhaustion, heat, or malnutrition. Ido was basically doing the same thing to Ryko that Eona was doing earlier, only with far more malice and greed. He wasn't even angry—he clearly wasn't concerned about Eona or Ryko. He was doing this for himself—to get Eona to relive the memories. Perhaps Ido thought that if he could get Eona angry enough, she would turn on everyone and join Ido after all. _Fat chance, _she thought furiously.

"Don't you know, my Lady?" She peered through the bars of her cage to see Ido eyeing her from the first. Though there were several people between them, glancing back and forth uneasily, the world seemed to zone in to no one but Ido at the moment. "Ryko knows everything. Ryko is omnipotent. Ryko is the sole provider of the truth, and everything he says _goes._" He turned back to Ryko and grinned widely, showing off all of his teeth. "Perhaps _you_ should have been the Mirror Dragoneye—Keeper of Truth, eh? I'd sure like to see your faultless way of handling all of the challenges that come with it. You would _never _screw up like Eona did—you're too perfect for such lowliness, yeah?" Ido pat Ryko condescendingly on the cheek while Ryko glowered down at him, nearly shaking from fury.

"How do you even know about all this?" Eona asked. "You were never there—"

"I have my ways," he said, moving on to Vida, who stood like a stone-cold statue in front of him. He held out a bag of raisons. "For forming an alliance with Lady Dela—ironically the woman and mastermind behind the fisher village tragedy—not that it matters," Ido said, waving a dismissive hand. "For forming an alliance with Lady Dela, to trick Lady Eona into thinking you were there to comfort her and give her some 'girl time'…when your real intention was to mislead her and goad and coerce her into giving you information about…ME." He dropped the bag at her feet. "You're a true friend, Vida. Happy meal time."

He turned to Dela and dropped a bag of cherries at her feet. "For letting Lady Eona know that if someone—such as yours truly, but hypothetically anyone—were to attack her, the fault is her own, and anyone who tried to get between her and said attacker might as well have died by her own hands." He smiled knowingly. "Did everyone get that? If someone attacks you, it's _your _fault for getting attacked. The Lady says so. She is a lady, after all, and a Lady. She knows just where women stand in the hierarchy."

"How…dare…you," Dela said in a shrill voice. Now it was Ryko's turn to place a restraining hand on her shoulder. "How dare you throw that mistake in my face? You have no right to turn that against me. I know the mistakes I've made. _I own up to them_." She took a deep breath. "You can't just toss something like that out there and use it to try to manipulate us. We're too smart for your games, Ido. You can't just—"

"Oh but I can. You see, Lady Dela, payback is a lot like you, m'darling," Ido sneered. "An inconvenient bitch."

Forget the restraining hold Dela was in. It was Ryko and Dela's father that Ido needed protection from now as Ryko once again attempted to grab hold of Ido with his tied hands, none too successfully. Dela and others around him awkwardly held their own bound hands out to stop him, not that it was necessary given the amount of protection Ido had from guards who started to come in one by one to break up the commotion. Seeing all the people bustling around in the small space made Eona grateful to have her own.

Now there were three guards standing between Ido and the group. They looked slightly uncomfortable by the small space, but they would do anything to protect their leader. "And the three of you," Ido said, as though nothing had happened. He shot a glance at Ryko, then Dela, then Vida. "For pretending to be different people. Ryko pretended to be a Trang Dein man, Dela pretended to be a man, and Vida pretended to be a harem girl. Oh!" Ido put a hand to his mouth, as if suddenly remembering something. "Hm." He clenched his fist, put it down, and shrugged. "Well, I guess it's not the same thing."

"What's not the same thing?" Dela asked.

"Eona pretending to be a boy to get into the Dragoneye ranks," he said. "Pretending to be a boy to get into the royal palace. I guess that's not the same as you guys pretending to be different identities to get into the…royal palace."

"Of course it's the same—"

Ido cut her off with sour look. "No, Lady Dela. It is _not _the same. Remember? You decided it wasn't."

Dela began to protest, but her father put a gentle hand on her shoulder, silencing her. Ido ignored her and looked around at the rest of the group. "And to ALL of you loyal little fighters, for being exquisitely supportive and honored to have Lord Eon serve your empire." He thrust a bunch of bags at the group, scattering them along the ground like flower petals. "For bowing to Lord Eon, for being proud of such a hard-working young boy who made it through everything even with a shattered hip… It's just…so honorable…I could cry."

"My name is Eona," Eona said. "I am Eona."

"It's not a wonder you were once screaming that you were Eon," Ido said. "That's all people will ever accept you as."

"That's not true—"

"Once your true self was outed, you were ruined straight from the start. You are nothing. Nobody cares about you anymore. You have destroyed any chance of being anyone's true Dragoneye, because they wanted Eon. That's what they wanted, Eona. They—"

"Eona, don't listen to him," Dela said in a strained voice. "Don't listen to him."

"—wanted a boy and a man. A citizen of the empire with the testicular drive that only a man can contribute."

"Don't listen to him."

She could barely discern their two voices, each trying to talk over the other in a shouting match, despite Dela's soft, high-pitched voice contrasting Ido's low and raspy one.

"You…" Kygo said threateningly to Ido. "You are the single most manipulative—" One of the guards in his cage clocked him on the head so hard his neck snapped back from the impact of it, shock in his eyes. The emperor was not used to being treated like this.

The guards let Ido out of the first cage and opened up the next cage for him. He absently dropped bags everywhere, though no one was eager to pick any up, despite their rumbling stomachs and hollow faces. He silently exited as quickly as he had entered.

Then he stopped by her cage and eyed her with pure condemnation. He did not ask to be let inside. "You're subhuman. You don't need any food. You don't get any food. You don't _deserve _any."

Eona had already eaten that day, yet she could still feel her stomach contort from the thought of no food. She briefly remembered that the food may be poisoned by Ido, but it seemed like his true motive was to slowly work up a war between Eona and the others. Which admittedly, had it been a few days prior, wouldn't have been hard.

"You're a liar," he snarled.

"So are you. So is everybody," she responded calmly. She knew it was useless.

Ido raised his chin. "That's different."

"Why is it different?" She knew what was coming.

"Because when you do it, my dear, it is a considerable betrayal. When others do it, they have their reasons. Their extremely ambitious and resentful reasons. But you, you have no reasons. Your survival means nothing."

"You're not being fair!" Dela cried angrily, gripping the bars of the cage and looking like she'd pounce on Ido if given a chance. "You're twisting everything that's ever gone on between us! We NEVER said ANY of that!"

He turned toward her and grinned widely, showing that he full well knew that already. "You might as well have," he said. "Different words, same meaning. In fact, maybe not in words at all—but in actions, demands…different treatment. Your repayments to her after she helped you guys again and again became more and more clear. No matter what Eona's reasons are for anything, no matter what she's been through, no matter how she feels, and no matter what she's done for you—she doesn't matter." He rose his voice, as if he were addressing a large crowd, such as the one that gathered when the Rat Dragoneye apprentice was going to be chosen.

"I speak on behalf of the empire itself—

"Lady Eona's experience doesn't matter."


	14. Day Two

**Chapter 14—Day 2**

_In the hazy mist that surrounded her, Eona could just barely make out the mirror that lay before her. Her own reflection looked haggard—her hair stuck to her face and her skin looked as sticky as it felt. The mist around her made everything muggy and humid. She could practically feel the vaporous air pressing against every pore of her skin. She tried to relax herself, breathing slow and deep. Her breath was caught, however, when she spotted a dragon in the reflection of the mirror. She spun around, but there was nothing behind her. But when she looked back into the mirror, she could see not only herself, but the face of a dragon mirroring her own. Reaching out, she traced her fingers along the glass, rubbing lines along the condensation that had formed. She wanted to reach her dragon, to touch her, to feel her scales rub against her hands. Eona reached out to trace the reflection of her dragon, startled when she found her hand going right through the mirror._

_Her hands found the Pearl and cupped it tightly, pressing their palms into it involuntarily. She did not know why this was happening. All she knew was that there was a sudden panicking sensation inside of her, a dreadful feeling that her and her dragon would be separated soon. She needed her dragon. She needed to hear her voice. She needed her _help.

"_Please," Eona said, latching onto the last time she'd met her dragon in a dream. She was sure it was more than a dream. "Tell me how to stop him. Help me. Tell me what I must do. If I cannot reach you in the real world, but I can reach you here, there must be a way."_

_The dragon bowed her head, and Eona could feel its enormous snout breathing out hot air…_

Eona's eyes slowly opened, still so heavy and barely able to stay open all the way. But her senses were alert and picked up quickly on everything that was going on around her and outside the cages. Ido had made sure that there were fully awake and alert guards stationed right outside each cage. When Kat had tried to pass her a couple of her own nuts and fruits through the cage beside her, there was suddenly a guard holding a sword at her throat in a flash. Dimitri leaped up, but the guard held out a hand, and Dimitri didn't dare move for fear it would provoke the guard into digging it into Kat's throat. She was frozen in place, face whiter than Eona had ever seen it.

He leaned down to Kat's ear, and whispered in her language, "If you pass so much as a crumb through the bars, I will cut your throat deeply but slowly so that you feel every part of your bloody death. And I will do it right in front of your brother and your love."

"YOU LET HER GO _NOW_!" Eona shouted with such a fierceness that everyone snapped their heads in her direction, including the guard. He took the sword away from Kat's neck. Dimitri, who'd been holding back for fear that attacking the guard would cause the guard's sword to slice easily into Kat's soft flesh, now seized the opportunity to start hitting the guard in the face as hard as he could with his bound hands, only to be picked up by the guard's large saucer-like hand and thrown like a rag doll against the wall. Eona winced at the clear _crack! _sound. She imagined she could almost hear Dimitri's back or skull break from the impact.

"I'd kill you myself," the guard snarled, "but I fear what Lord Ido would do if I defied his orders. And his orders were strictly to keep you guys alive, _unless_ you try to help Lady Eona. Which I would be quite amused by at this point." Eona had a feeling Ido filled them in on what he'd apparently known was going on between Eona and her comrades during the war. The troubles and conflict they'd endured. He'd seen some of it, but he hadn't seen all of it, certainly not some of what he'd been talking about earlier. She still wondered how he knew all of this.

Her eyes scanned the tired and distressed faces of the prisoners. They fell on someone—something—that wasn't there. "What in the name of all the gods—"

"Yes," the guard said. "I was far friendlier earlier on when your mother tried to sneak food in to you and all I did was merely chop off her hand."

Eona's eyes widened in growing stark horror as she gazed at her mother's wrist, now nothing but a bloody stub, wrapped in layers upon layers of fabric. Rilla was sitting beside her, as they were both at the edges of their cages, her arm tightly around her body. Lillia was still trembling and sweaty and Eona couldn't imagine how it'd been earlier. _How could I have _slept _through that? _she wondered. No matter how sleepy she'd been, she couldn't imagine not waking up at her mother's scream. _Did _her mother scream?

"Mother…why do you keep doing this for me? Let me—"

"No. You will not heal anyone. You will not call to your dragon. We will make sure of that," the guard said, his hand already on the door to Eona's cage. They would beat her before she even got the chance.

"Eona," Lillia whispered. Her head lolled on Rilla's shoulder, and her face was pale and gray as thunder clouds. "Don't worry. Just d-don't…" Rilla shushed her quietly.

* * *

In about an hour the guards got a little more generous. They removed the ropes from everybody's tied hands, including Eona's. Then they came into the cages with buckets of cold water and let everyone sip for a while. From what Eona could see, no one seemed to have eaten any of their food rations. Chart and Rilla were sitting together in the far corner of their cage. Dela was leaning tiredly between her father and Ryko. Momo was on the other side of Ryko, running her hands through her hair. Tozay and Vida had their backs to the wall, staring blindly ahead, dazed and traumatized and tired. Confused. Angry. So many different extreme things at once, it was enough to drive even the strongest insane.

Lillia and Kat in the second cage stayed close by Eona. Kat had Eona cradled in her arms through the bars, Dimitri right behind her. Kenzo and Felix sat like caged tigers, fidgeting and barely able to sit still for one minute, while Kygo and Shun were the only people who couldn't sit at all. Both paced the small space they had that they were forced to share. Every now and then Kygo would run his fingers over the cold steel of the cage bars, as if expecting it to magically disappear with his touch.

No one knew where Ido was. Perhaps the guards did but they wouldn't speak a word unless it was to threaten somebody who was acting insubordinate. Or unless it was to say, "You know, you guys really ought to eat your portions. If they're not gone by the time Lord Ido has come back, he will take them away. You restricting yourselves isn't going to help your Lady Eona." He turned cold, emotionless eyes on her, very unlike Ido. It was as if the guard was talking about strict business matters that were nothing to dispute or get personal about. "Besides, I'm sure your female Dragoneye would not want that of you anyway."

Hesitantly, some of them picked up their bags and began to take pieces of their small meals out.

"You don't think they're poisoned do you?" she said quickly, before anyone took a bite. Tozay and Dimitri frowned. Rilla and Momo warily lowered their portions. Kygo scrunched up his face and glared at Eona. She knew they would've rather eaten them in blissful ignorance, but she had to say it.

"I don't think Ido would serve much of a purpose in killing us all," said Ryko. "Especially her." He pointed at Kat. "She has a lot of power too. Why would he want to get rid of her?"

"True." Eona still seemed uncertain. With Ido, there was no telling what he would do. But no good would come out of starving either. It might be a risk they would have to take.

Lillia fixed sad, almost guilt-ridden eyes on Eona. "Oh Eona…"

"Please," Eona said, not unkindly. "Just eat. He's right. It will not do anyone any good for you to prolong your hunger. Eat now—you'll be glad you did later."

The silence that followed was quickly broken up with quiet sounds of reluctant chewing and nibbling. Eona sat and stared straight ahead, not looking at anyone, wanting to give them privacy. _Privacy? _Suddenly eating seemed like the kind of thing where it would be rude or awkward if she watched someone do it.

Finally, Ido returned.

"Did you have a good night's sleep? Did you all have a nice rest?"

He was met with sixteen glares. Maybe even more, because the guards couldn't have been that happy to stand there all night.

"You may go," Ido said to the men standing outside of the cages. "I have more soldiers to take your places now."

"We'll start from the other end this time. And today, it is about the crime of Killing," Ido said, being led into the middle cage, Kat's cage, right beside Eona's. "The Lady Eona killed a total of thirty-eight people. Am I right?"

"Thirty six," a quiet voice said.

"What's that? Who said that?"

There was silence. Then Vida spoke up again. "It was thirty-six. Not thirty-eight."

"No, I think it was thirty-eight. Because if you all remember correctly, she killed Ryko twice." He looked around at all three cages, waiting for a response. "First when he prevented me from seizing her power. Then, when she followed his command to 'honor' him."

"She did not ever kill him," Dela said. "You are despicable."

"How much irony," Ido said with an amused hiss in voice like a snake, "is that coming from you, contraire?"

"She may have killed those people," Vida said, "but she did not murder them."

Tozay grabbed her hand and shushed her. "Stop talking. Don't say anything to him."

Vida ignored him and continued, "You know there is a difference."

"Ah, but when the Lady follows orders from anyone, even the high Emperor himself, it is as if they are her own. Did we not establish that when she was to blame for Kygo commanding her to compel you sweet little Ryko?" Ido's smile spread so widely across his face, Eona thought it would reach his ears. He strode over to Kygo, flanked by guards on either side, and handed him an apple that Eona hadn't seen him pull out of a brown knitted bag. "For trying to kill the Lady when you found out she was a Lady." There was a small gasp from someone, Eona couldn't tell who. Kygo's mouth was in a straight, furious line. "For killing all of those people. And for being a man. Nobody ever brought it back up again. But when the Lady slips up, it is forever a sin. An eternal sin." Ido tossed Kygo the apple. Kygo caught the apple and threw it as hard as he could. Ido ducked the apple, but not Kygo coming barreling toward him, only to be stopped by three guards (it took all three). He fought and cursed and spat. Saliva landed on Ido's shirt. He did not flinch. Only turned on his heel and walked out of the door like a breeze, but not before dumping more of the contents of the bag onto the ground for the rest of the prisoners in the cage. The guards followed him and unlocked the first cage for him, the farthest from Eona. Ido was one of the few people Eona had known who could walk into a crowd of people who hated him and still not be the least bit intimidated.

He took a piece of bread out of his bag and held it in front of Vida's face. "For telling the Lady that you wished she didn't wake up, right after she woke up, from her three-day coma. Remember? You said she only caused more harm than good, and from that point onward gave her the utmost respect whenever you were in her presence. You even took delight in her vomiting episode right before reaching the Inn."

Ido got on one knee and bowed to the ground. Vida's face flushed.

"What's wrong, you don't like getting so much attention?" Ido asked, glancing up but still bowed. "But isn't it nice for a change to be on the other end of the stick? You get to have people treat you like a queen while simultaneously treating you like shit too!" Ido gloated, rising. There was jubilation all over his face as he played his game. Then he turned toward the middle cage and made a sweeping bow directed towards Kygo. "I'm sorry, Emperor. I forgot to do this when I was in there. But surely a few bars won't lessen the value of it."

Kygo scrutinized him, his hard jaw clenched in such a way that it made him look much older than eighteen.

Ido stood back up. "Remember when you had to beat me to make me bow to you? Well now it's so easy. But I must admit, those were some good times too." He paced over to Dela and said, "For taking Eona's choice away—for compelling her to heal Ryko. For bending her to your will by gutting her with guilt. You have your own compulsion power, Lady Dela—and you don't even need a dragon to do it!" He handed her an apple. "Perhaps you're right after all—perhaps some women really _do _have power, and don't even know it."

He strolled over to Ryko, whose massive body towered at the back of the cage, while others cowered. Ido handed him a bag of nuts. "And for bending her to _your _will by guilting her into compelling you to death. 'Honor me, Eona'," Ido imitated in a wimpy voice. He roared with laughter. "You pathetic piece of shit. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up. I can barely pretend anymore. I've even just already covered two of the honors of tomorrow's topic—the crime of Controlling. Because if Lady Eona accidentally controls somebody, or has no choice but to, it is a crime. But if anyone else takes her choice away, it is always perfectly reasonable. Nothing wrong with _that. _You guys just have your reasons. It's not the same thing at all! You guys obviously are so much more innocent about it."

The sarcasm pouring from Ido's mouth was making Eona sick. She knew it was all true, but at the same time, she couldn't help but remember how terrible the war was for everybody, and how it affected everyone's decision-making. No one meant to harm anyone. Dark times had just caused everyone to become selfish, and they'd proven throughout the last couple days that they were sorry and that they stood by her no matter what. In a world that Ido controlled, everyone was desperate to hang on to their loved ones like hanging on to a tree when there was a tornado, even at the cost of others. Eona briefly remembered Yuso. He'd become far more desperate than any of them.

Ido made his way back to the front of the cage and turned to address everyone. "And to all of you, for hating the Lady for pretending to be a Lord, when ladies get executed for practicing dragon magic. For hating her for lying to protect her life. Because in none of that does it make sense to excuse her for that. In none of it at all. In other words, she should be dead _right now. _Well, I'm helping you." There was a hushed terror that swam through all three cages. "It's more honorable that way, isn't it? Dying for the sake of not lying? Rather than lie to live and do what you love? Even if it meant _risking your life _for people. Yes, very much so. Tsk tsk tsk."

He turned to leave the cage, then paused, then turned back again with a proud smile. "Oh. And to all of you for placing the Lady in the danger lines when you wanted to kindly free me from Sethon. Thank you very much, by the way, it was awfully generous of you. You were willing to sacrifice one Dragoneye for another. Can you just imagine if she had bled to death before you'd reached me? Not that there's anything risky about that at all," he added quickly with the wave of a hand.

"You vile piece of _shit_," Ryko hissed, throwing his bag of nuts at Ido.

Ido dodged them. "You'd better take them and shut up," Ido said threateningly, the smile suddenly gone from his mouth, as if vanishing into thin air. All traces of amusement had been erased. He could always change his mood and act like a chameleon. "Knowing you, those nuts are probably bigger than yours."

"Why are you doing this?" Dimitri asked, his accent thick with confusion. "You are making no sense. Why punish Eona if you want her by your side and her power?" The poor man was probably the only one here who didn't have a clue as to what Ido was talking about.

"Hmm, well? Nobody tried to stop the contraire from forcing Eona to nearly die healing Ryko. On the contrary, you all became quite disgruntled when she awoke. Nobody batted an eyelash when she bled all over the ground when you came to free me from prison. Nobody seemed concerned when Yuso kidnapped her from your _very own camp_…" Ido chuckled. "Oh. How I still wonder how that even happened. Right under your little noses." He was clearly addressing the greater group even though Dimitri was the one who'd asked the question. Kat was thinking she could explain it to him later, if they…_survived_, she thought barely able to bring the word to the front of her mind.

"We were very much concerned, which was why we went after them—" Kygo began.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Ido shouted, holding up a hand like it was a weapon. "You didn't let me finish! There was one last, yet invaluable, bit I forgot to mention…nobody cared when she was a five-year old slave on a salt farm. Your very empire, everything you guys have built and protected with your lives, has come at the cost of child slavery. It has come at the expense of human trafficking. It has come at the high price of stepping on the backs of men, women, and children. Your empire, your beloved empire that you defend because you are 'honorable', comes from all of that. That's what it was built on."

"WE DO NOT SUPPORT THOSE THINGS!" someone yelled. The reason why Eona hadn't immediately recognized it was because she had never heard Kenzo yell before. She'd never even seen him angry. She'd seen him when he was very serious outside the prison when they were ready to sneak in, but she'd never seen him livid. He very much sounded like a different person altogether, and his face even seemed older, lined with rage and fury. "We have always acknowledged that there is wrong, everywhere. In our own Celestial Empire, and elsewhere. The system has never been perfect—there are things we have always wished to change. And Lady Eona has broken many barriers in that system—from being a slave, to being a cripple, to being a woman. NONE of that has stopped her."

"Ah, but her allies did. They did not care that she was starved of food on the salt farm, because they do not care where she came from. They did not care that she was starved of love and friendship, support and trust, during the darkest of times. Therefore, they shouldn't really have a problem watching her die now. And I trust you all don't mind it being a slow process, as your method was even slower. It only takes the human body about a month to succumb to starvation. My Lady has suffered at the hands of psychological manipulation for most of her life, and now even as the almighty Mirror Dragoneye, it is still a constant in her life. You tortured her slowly, over time, starving her of respect. What is a life without respect? The only reason she barely got by was because of me. But now, she no longer has me to sustain her either, because she has since turned me away.

"I'm only doing what you would do. I'm only doing what you _did _do, which was deprive her over time. This is no different. Let's watch and enjoy ourselves together, as we sustain on the rightful nutrients of life."

* * *

Later in the day, Eona and many others found themselves desperately needing to use the bathroom. Unfortunately, Lord Ido would not allow them to leave their cages, no matter how agonizingly crowded, uncomfortable, unsanitary, and utterly humiliating it was to have to relieve themselves where they were. They all tried their best to provide each other with some privacy though.

When someone in the first cage had to go, the person would go in the far corner away from the middle cage and away from the guards on the outside. There would always be one or two or three people standing around them with their backs to them—it was usually someone big, like Ryko—creating the best illusion of privacy they could come up with. And of course, everyone else made a conscious decision not to look.

In the middle cage, a person would go in the same corner, only someone from the first cage would also stand with their back turned in the corner on the other side of the bars, since there was no wall to shield them like there was in the first cage.

But Eona's situation was the most compromising. Kygo and Shun and Kenzo all stood with their backs turned on the far side of their cage to shield Eona from eyes that were not attempting to pry anyway. But since Eona had no one else in her cage with her, the guards and Lord Ido…who did _not_ bother to look away, had a clear view of her. Eona had never felt so dirty in her life. _I will kill you,_ she thought. She couldn't remember a time when she'd hated anyone so much, even when she'd found out her Master's betrayal. _I will kill you._


	15. Day Three

**Chapter 15—Day 3**

_The white mist and steam surrounded her, making everything impossible to see. Even if she held her hand in front of her face, she could not see it. White clouds made her senses blur. Her tongue tasted dry. When she reached out, she could feel nothing. Her hearing was leaving her. She knew she was coughing, sputtering, practically choking and suffocating to death from the thickness of the vapors around her, but she couldn't hear herself or see anything. It was like she was choking on darkness._

_The haze and fog began to clear, and she could make out, on all four sides of her, wet walls. No; only on three sides of her there were wet walls. Behind her there was a dark, dry, wooden wall. The wet walls, where there was water dripping down, looked to be made of glass, though very thick glass. She could see shapes beyond it, dark silhouettes, but she could not make out who they were. If they were saying anything, she couldn't hear them. They were the outlines of people and they seemed to be growing in numbers by the minute; first there had just been a couple, then about ten, and now their seemed to be a full crowd. One was significantly taller than the rest and stood in the back, still as a statue. She could not see their faces, but they appeared to be looking at her. Just dark shapes coming close to the walls, gazing in, if they had eyes. Eona shrank back against the wooden back wall. They seemed harmless enough, but the feeling of fear overwhelmed her anyway. She prayed she was safe in here and they couldn't get in…_

"Today is all about the act of Controlling. Or Taking. Or Taking Control of another person and what they do. Let's get started, shall we?"

Ido's loud voice pulled her straight from her dream. Groggy and just coming to her senses, Eona lifted her head from the wall.

"We've already gone through two of them. We've already gone through Dela making the Lady heal Ryko, and Ryko making the Lady compel him. But here are a couple others: The young emperor Kygo, for taking charge of a system that didn't want her doing dragon magic. The young emperor Kygo, for trying to kill Eona when he found out. The young emperor Kygo, for forcing her to compel Ryko, then wondering why she didn't trust him with information. I guess nothing says 'Trust me!' quite like first trying to murder her, and then forcing her to torture her friend and then take the blame for it. Yes?" He threw a bag of food through the bars of Kygo's cage, not bothering to enter this time.

"And I know I'm repeating some of the things I said before, but let's face the truth here, since that's what we're all about—many of them overlap into more than one category." Ido sidestepped to the first cage.

"To Ryko, for forcing the Lady to enlist Kygo's permission so he could go out searching for the contraire after she went missing in the unfortunate mudslides and other natural disasters. For cutting off all of Eona's connections, so that she couldn't possibly communicate with anybody. She could not possibly communicate with Dela on the boat. No, no. That is not acceptable. She could not possibly communicate with Chart, shortly after their reunion, after healing him from a deformity that gained him respect from almost no one—except, of course, the Lady herself. And his mother.

"And for grabbing her when she attempted to save said boat from a cyclone. I simply cannot _wait _until the next cyclone comes along!" He clapped his hands like a child getting ready to open a gift. Then he pulled out a bag of food and tossed it through the bars. Ryko swung his fist and punched the bag as it came hurdling towards him, knocking it to the ground.

Ido clicked his tongue. "You'll be needing that later." He took a step back and made a sweeping glance over all of them. "And once again—to all of you—for wanting the Lady to divulge her secret so that she could be killed—all for the sake of you knowing what genitalia she has. Because we all _know_ that's what you should go by when deciding who to trust. In which case, how should we judge you young fellows?" He sneered at Ryko, Shun, and Kenzo. All of them looked like they would thrust their swords through Ido's torso if they could.

"Alas," Ido said, "I am just the reporter. I am just the messenger. Do not hit the messenger." Making a sweeping gesture, he continued, "The fault does not lie with me, but with you. As I only speak…the _truth._"

Ido turned toward Eona and gazed at her with a shrewd expression. Eona imagined if a rat could turn into a human, it would probably resemble Ido. Sometimes it was hard to believe he was human. "My Lady, you are just as alone as you were before you became the Mirror Dragoneye, am I correct? Which ironically, was supposed to change all that. Am I right, my Lady?" When he looked at her, Eona's blood turned cold. "You were crippled, cursed, weak, _a girl. _You were _worthless. _You were a _failure. _You were hoping becoming a Dragoneye apprentice would change all that. Right?"

Eona didn't answer. Part of her knew it wasn't a rhetorical question, but she still held back.

"I am asking you a question, M'Lady."

"Yes. I was."

"But you were wrong," Ido said. "And look at yourself. Even now, you are too afraid to say much. You are afraid of how your friends will twist and judge your every word that hangs on your tongue. You are a _coward_," he spat. "If you were with me, this would not be an everyday concern."


	16. Day Four

**Chapter 16—Day 4**

_The glass walls were dry now, the mist and condensation gone and completely evaporated. The shadows looked like people now and the faces were much clearer. However, they were still strangers. Each and every single one of them. Eona had no idea who these people were. She had never seen them before. All she knew was that they were peering in at her through the glass window, curiously gazing at her with pity. Then, they started laughing. Some of them tapped on the glass. Other pressed their faces to it, looking at her like she was an animal with twelve legs. A few people shook their heads in disgust and walked away. One of them even started banging on the glass and yelling in at her. "You crippled worthless being. How did the gods ever think it would be honorable to bring you to life?"_

_Crippled?_

_She glanced down, not even realizing the state of her body—she thought she would've felt it, noticed sooner, that her hip and leg were mangled in a way that did not happen on accident. Someone did this._

_Then she'd caught a glimpse of the tall figure in the back and realized she'd spoken too soon. There was one familiar face here, with that familiar frown and familiar weary on-guard expression, ready to jump into action should anyone start attacking anyone in this crowded no-place area and vortex of people…Ryko._

Everything became blurry and fizzled out as Eona opened her eyes and sat up, rejoining the real world. Most of her fellow prisoners were still asleep, slumped against the bars and walls, or over each other's shoulders and laps. But when she felt someone's eyes staring at her from her right, she glanced and saw Ryko, tired-looking but undoubtedly awake, looking directly at her. And she just knew that he'd had the exact same dream she'd just awoken out of.

Had he had this dream the same way he'd had the dream about the mudslide? In which case, did this dream hold a prediction of some sort? Because it felt far more like the past. Eona's deformity. Her "cripple" status amongst people, that made her an outcast and an object of disdain. Made her a pariah practically, a thing to blame bad luck on. Even if that had continued to happen afterward, in a different way. It had made her wonder, did she ever truly stop being a cripple?

Neither of them shared a word. About two hours after she pondered all of this, most people were awake, but barely anybody spoke. Lord Ido, once again, returned.

"Today we will go over the act of Selfishness. Because only Lady Eona has ever been selfish, and none of you other innocent little babies have ever done anything remotely selfish in your pristine little lives."

Lillia growled. Dela shook her head, slit-eyed and disgusted. Ryko muttered something under his breath, something like, "How much longer will this continue?" And Kygo was the only one to keep his face neutral as he stepped forward and said, "What haven't you brought up already from the deep deep past that we should know about _this _time, Ido?"

"That's _Lord _Ido to you," Ido said. "And as a matter of fact, you're right, Kygo." He emphasized the absence of the title 'Emperor' or 'Your Majesty' when he flippantly addressed him. "I have brought up just about everything. Everything I've already spoken of fits under the category of Selfishness, does it not? Or rather, how you lot are _not _selfish. How you are self_less _individuals. Everything you do is driven by the motive of helping someone else—never ever yourselves. It is never your own desires you desire—always others'. Right?" Ido put a thoughtful hand to his chin. "I suppose then, that I could just go over all of the things that Eona has done to be selfish. I want you to know. I want her to know. And I want all of you to know, that I know." He smiled wickedly. "After all, you know what they say. If we do not learn from our mistakes, history is bound to repeat itself. In a different form, no less, but it is bound to repeat itself regardless. And that's why we are repeating aloud what our mistakes were.

You," Ido said, holding out a long bony finger enticingly toward Eona, "told Vida she was kind. You told her to go check on Ryko after following the emperor's orders to compel him. You went to seek out the help of Dela to make sure that Rilla and Chart got to a safe place after I killed the other ten Dragoneyes and their apprentices. You wanted Dela and Ryko to _be _together." He said all of this in a quiet voice, but it rose slightly when he said 'be together'. His eyebrows rose on his expressionless face as he said it too. "You gave the pearl back to the dragons. _You _forgave your mother after all of these years she has given to you." His voice was rough and different, almost as though he were from a different land, with a different accent. "YOU!" he roared, causing a couple of them to jump. "You did all of these things. _You _did." Ido was right in front of Eona's cage now, and for some reason, she felt compelled to take a few steps toward the bars, closer to him. As though he would have something important to say and she needed to be right in front of him to hear it. She was so close to him now, only the bars separating them, that she could feel his hot breath on her face. "And there are two more people you have screwed over in your life of selfish acts, Eona."

He turned his head and it was only then that Eona noticed the guards rolling something giant and covered with a dirty brown cloth. At first she thought it might be a chest or box, but when she saw about an inch of uncovered metal towards the bottom right corner above the wheels, she knew it was another cage. It was massive—whatever must've been in there was heavy. It had taken up to five guards to roll it in. Another thing that hinted at the massiveness and it being a cage was the noise—or noises—coming from it. They were muffled and agonized. She saw a foot kick out from beneath the cloth, through the bars.

When Ido lifted that cloth, Eona could barely hear her own gasp through the collective gasp that rang loud from everybody.

Brannon, Yuso, and Ranne sat inside the cage, hands bound, mouths gagged, and eyes wild and wide awake, as though they were wondering just as fiercely and strongly as everyone else was how they'd come back to life. After an entire year following their deaths.

Their deaths had been within such close proximity of each other. Ranne had been killed just outside the palace on the night Eona (then Eon) and Ryko took one of the folios. It was right before the war broke out, right before the Empress and infant son were killed, right before all the other Dragoneyes were killed. Ryko had had to carry a then-crippled Eona on his back as he ran from the palace, not daring to get caught. It all seemed like a lifetime ago—but somehow seeing her former trainer here in front of her brought it all crashing back down to her.

Brannon was the next to go—again, before the entire political struggle broke out. The history between the two of them was as remarkable as it was painful.

And Yuso—the traitor. The man who'd beaten her and turned her over to Sethon. Had Eona ever thought she would see him again, she would've thought she'd been either insane or in the afterlife. Though she hadn't known if he'd make it there after what he'd done.

"What have you done to these men, Eona? I'll tell you what you've done to them." Ido cocked a head in each of their directions. "You felt bad when Ranne died. For some reason."

_Now he knows how I _felt_?_

"You stayed loyal to your former master, even after he died. The eunuch says you should not have; in fact, him and the contraire think it was the biggest mistake you ever made." Ido clicked his tongue. "You also kept Yuso's secret to yourself…right after you saved his life." Ido smirked. "You pulled him out of death's way, heaving his entire weight—which admittedly is more than yours, as everyone's is, except for that milky-hided thing—out of the earth. Kind of like you did with me." Ido smirked. His smirk vanished. "Oh wait. Would it not be more proper to say that those are things you've done _for _them? But then it doesn't add up with the idea of being selfish…being selfish is what one does _to _somebody…not _for _somebody…this is all becoming so confusing," Ido said mockingly, feigning exhaustion.

Eona could feel her knees buckling beneath her. The air was already hot and stuffy, and the floor was becoming less and less stable. The room swayed and blurred, becoming a chaotic whirlwind of bars and walls and people…

"You have also done something very, very bad to me…at the urging of all of these barbaric and unsatisfied twits, you burned me. You literally burned me. You burned me up in front of all of those Easterners, when I was helpless to do a damn thing about it. You controlled me and will now forever be a hero to those people, but in my debt. I have tried to be generous, my Lady. I have tried to offer you a way out; a way out of it all, this never-ending life of servitude and demands of all of these people who smile and whisper false words of comfort as they simultaneously stab you in the chest. I have tried, but—"

Her ears were ringing and the edges of her vision were flickering and becoming darker and darker.

"But you cared more about pleasing your little contraire and eunuch than you did about your own wellbeing. I guess it's true, they truly are victims, in their own ways…it must be hard to have the most powerful woman of the land care for them and feed them and provide a stable empire for them. It's a shame, my Lady. You could've had a good life with me."

It was in that moment that the floor rose up to meet her and she caved in, everything going black.


	17. The Queen of the Heavens

**Chapter 17—The Queen of the Heavens**

"_Eona." Eona's head shot up and she was face to face with her dragon. The Mirror Dragon's face was gigantic, much bigger than Eona's own body. Her yellow eyes with black slits engulfed Eona with its gaze. The words didn't seem to be spoken, but pierced through her nonetheless, feeling like a wave of energy throughout her body. "Eona, my Dragoneye."_

_Eona felt something trembling throughout her body—something that shook her nerves, her bones, her very heart. It pounded against her chest, making her body feel like a cage it was desperate to get out of. She could feel her bones rattling and a hot searing sensation travel along her back._

_Lord Ido was not only a traitor, torturer, murderer, and power-crazy fiend…he also was a coward. _

_Images flashed across Eona's vision—when he first discovered she was a girl. When he took over her mind and tried to control her. When he tried to control her body. When he knocked her to the ground. When he kicked her. When he starved her, taunted her, attempted to manipulate her in front of everyone…attempted to bring up painful memories so she could join his side._

_The other people he'd tortured to try to get to her. Kat, her mother, Chart, Dela, Ryko…some of these people had turned on her, yes. Some of them _had _hurt her. Some of them downright nearly ruined her life. _

_But they'd finally proven their loyalty to her. They finally followed through and pledged their allegiance to her by helping to rescue Kat. It may have been partly for their own purposes. But she remembered the look in Ryko's eyes when he said they were in this together…she remembered the look in Dela and Chart's terrified eyes when they'd escaped the cave. She remembered the shocked and appalled reactions when Ido kept them locked up for days…Ido. _

_Ido was a coward. That she ever got near enough to him, even if only to connect to his power, disgusted her more than anything now._

"_Lady Eona." He dragon's voice sounded distant and muffled in her thrumming ears. Her heart was racing at speeds she didn't think possible. In this peaceful celestial sky with her dragon, her body completely contrasted it with the squeezing sensation in her head that would not stop. Eona's eyes squeezed shut, sweat dripping down her face. What was happening? It was getting worse, like a rope tightening around her head. Tighter…tighter…_

* * *

The roof blew off of the building. There were rolling dark gray clouds in the sky and the wind was howling so loudly Kat had to cover hear ears. Her hair blew into her face, her neck craned upward at the roaring winds and clouds, not able to look anywhere else. It was blowing so hard she thought it would rip her hair out of her scalp and her head off of her shoulders. She tried pressing her hands against her ears harder against the horrific sounds, but she could not block them out. She thought she also heard screams of terror, but she could barely see anyone even when she forced her head to lower, in the mass of bodies and hair and wind and—

The bars to all three cages tore ferociously away and they were in wide open space. Some of the metal and steel banged against each other making sharp, high-pitched, ear-bleeding sounds. The rest flew up into the air, being sucked and lost into the clouds, now forming a rotating funnel that was quickly and dangerously making its way to the ground.

She felt strong arms wrap around her from behind and pull her to the ground, shielding her from any debris crashing down around them. She could feel Dimitri's breath in her ear, the soft linen of the dress he was in, his body on top of hers, pressing her down on the ground against the collapsing building.

_It cannot be Lord Ido doing this. It cannot be. _Then out of her peripheral vision she saw Eona, crouched on the ground, body trembling, head down. It was coming from her. _She's in the energy world, communicating with her dragon,_ Kat thought._ She's trying to hang out and hold out for as long as she can. _Normally Eona stood tall and poised when she called to her dragon, calm and confident, more experienced now and knowing exactly what she was doing. She would do so with ease and surety, not afraid, and able to withstand any damage it did to her. Not now. She looked so…vulnerable knelt on the ground, head falling towards the ground, almost as though she were performing a kowtow position. Kat wanted to rush over and pick her up, hold her and give her some of her own life force and energy. But she could barely move herself. But despite how frail and dwindling Eona appeared, she knew all of this power was coming from her.

* * *

"_You must make a decision, Lady Eona," the Mirror Dragon said, not unkindly._

_Eona could not answer. She could barely even breathe at this point. _This is too much, _was the only helpless thought she could muster up. _Too much.

"_It may _feel_ as if it is too much, my lady," the dragon said. "But it is not. You have conquered evil before. You can do it again. For he has pledged against you and your allies. There is no in-between this time. Too much energy must be taken from you for me to stop him. He has attempted to exert control over Mother Nature. And now you must decide—will you give your life for the land and the dragons? Will you give it for the children and the creatures and all living beings? Will you give it the way you bravely and selflessly gave it, even among all the hatred and distrust met with it? Will you give it in order to stop this tyrant?"_

_A flicker of memory so small that she could hardly hear it entered Eona's mind. "_You have power that frightens even Lord Ido,_" Dela had said. "_So use it_."_

_It was so long ago. There was a time when everyone believed in her._

"_I believe in you," the Mirror Dragon said, her tone more abrupt now than ever. "All that matters is that I have, do, and always will, believe in you. Even when no one else does. I believed in you the entire way through, and I believe in you now. Which path will you choose?"_

I, _Eona said, though she could not feel her mouth move, but she knew the words were there, loud and clear, ringing out to her dragon. _I will give my life.

"_Very well," the Mirror Dragon whispered, with a proud yet almost regrettable tone. "Man will see just what happens when he dares to rule the Queen of the Heavens."_

* * *

The tornado died down and dissipated, until there was barely any wind left to destroy. Kat's hair and clothes settled messily back into place. There was still thick dust in the air that took moments to thin out, and through it she could hear coughs and see people holding onto each other, afraid to let go even though it was ending. As though any minute now it could start back up again. People stood up and wiped their faces, wiped others' faces, checked for any damage. Kat noticed some peoples' clothes had torn off in the ensuing wind that had eaten almost everything in its path. While they'd been crowded and practically entangled with each other before, they were now in wide open space. No more bars to hold them in. No more of Ido's guards to restrain them—Kat could see now many of them if not all of them had been crushed by falling walls and pillars. It seemed like none of the prisoners had been harmed though. Perhaps the frame of the cages had in actuality been a blessing in disguise.

She searched out Eona in the crowd of people, and saw her in that same knelt position. Only she wasn't trembling anymore and went from knelt to falling to her side. Not a single movement in her. Not even a slight up-down movement of slow or shallow breathing.

"Kat," Dimitri hissed, "no." He latched onto her arm, but Kat waved it off. She felt momentarily guilty for brushing him off again because he was only trying to protect her, but she had to go see Eona. Right now.

"Eona." She gripped her arm and turned Eona over. Her eyes were closed, her mouth limp, every bone and muscle in her body limp. It almost looked like she was asleep. "Eona. Eona. _Eona._ EONA!" A painful excruciating cry ripped through Kat's body as she shook Eona, lightly patted her face, willing her to come back. Willing her to wake up. She kept crying out her name as though that would wake her up, as though Eona simply couldn't hear her unless she were loud enough. Then she would open her eyes, and this would all just have been a big scare, and Kat would hug her and kiss her and tell her to never ever scare her like that again. She would cry tears of joy and happiness and _relief_ most of all.

But this was not happening. She tried finding a pulse anywhere in Eona's body. She tried finding signs of breathing. She could not find any. There was nothing, nothing at all. Eona's life force had been cut off, severed, disconnected. Her Hua was gone, completely.

Holding Eona's head snugly against her chest and cradling her with her arms, Kat screamed and sobbed and wailed, as though if the world heard her, someone or something would come and fix this. As though if she were loud enough, the earth would fix this. She could not think straight, could barely form a coherent thought. All she knew was that Eona was gone, and Kat was never going to let go. And she would never be okay.

She was vaguely aware of another quieter sobbing sound behind her. Lillia. Everybody else stood frozen in shock. Dimitri reached out helplessly to Kat, but she knew he knew there was nothing he could do to stop the pain. All of Eona's energy had been released while using the Mirror Dragon. She was only seventeen years old, and already dead. One was not even meant to become a Dragoneye until they were twenty-four, and Eona had been training for almost her entire life to do this. But she'd known the risks involved in doing dragon magic, how it drained you of your energy over time and caused you to age at a much faster rate. She still looked so young in Kat's arms, even younger than seventeen. Such was the life of a Dragoneye and dangerous ancient magic they still knew so little about. Such was the life…

Her head snapped up at Ido. She had not known where he was standing, but somehow she was able to pinpoint him right away. He stood there with his feet planted on the ground, his legs spread about a foot apart, his whole body still and unreadable as he stared down at Eona, mere confusion on his face.

Dragon magic. Dragoneye. Any Dragoneye. Any dragon power. It didn't have to be the Mirror Dragon.

Kat gently settled Eona's head down, treating her as if she were still alive, and made sure she stood up all the way before she dashed around to Ido and gripped his shirt with both hands. "Bring her back," she said, seeing his shocked and aghast face turning to her and giving her his full attention now. She could feel the tension in his body and heard Dimitri gasp behind her. "Bring her back, you _bring her back_, RIGHT NOW, you bastard!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and used all her strength to shake his hard muscled body.

Ido, clearly taken aback by her sudden aggression, recomposed himself and folded his arms, causing Kat to let go. "And how do you suppose I do that?"

"Not you. We. _We_,"she said. "We both have to do it. You're a Dragoneye. I have the magic. Together, we can bring her back just like Eona and I did to Ryko." She turned and pointed at Ryko. Though her and Ido had been speaking the Western tongue and Ryko initially had no clue what they were saying, recognition quickly dawned on his face. He looked from Eona's limp form, to Kat, to Ido, and back to Eona again. Dela nodded her head vigorously at both Kat and Ido, delivering an extra glare at the latter, and began saying something to Ido. Kat gathered she was urging the same thing. They were all on the same page.

Except Ido. "Forget it." Ido shoved her away like a gnat, and Kat stumbled into Dimitri's arms. She hated how puny she was because she wanted to snap each of Ido's limbs in half.

She needn't wish for too long though, for Kygo leaped forward out of nowhere and reached out, practically getting the job done himself. He grabbed both of Ido's arms in a firm iron grip and placed them behind his back. Kygo stood behind him, body practically touching Ido's, and began twisting both of Ido's arms. However he was doing it must've been horrible, for Ido grunted and growled in pain, even almost shrieking at one point. Kygo was yelling at him in their native language, and Kat knew he was demanding that Ido combine his powers with Kat to bring Eona back to life. Eventually, Ido said something and Kygo let go. Ido gave Kat a look, shook his arms for a moment, then settled down across from her, on the other side of Eona. He had complied.

Kneeling down on either side of Eona's body and holding each other's hands above her, Kat and Ido bowed their heads together and closed their eyes. She ignored how repulsed she was to be touching him and being this close to him. She ignored any doubts that tried to slip up into the crevices of her mind. She even ignored the fact that it was Eona's body they crouched and leaned over right now—Kat only thought of her as Eona, not her body. Not an 'it'. Not a thing. Not an inanimate object with no life in it whatsoever. Nothing dead. _Eona._ She was her guiding light, her precious one, her best friend, her companion.

The energy exploded throughout both of them almost immediately. Eona's spirit definitely desired to come back. It exploded so strongly that both Ido's and Kat's heads were pushed back, away from each other, face upward toward the sky. Dela followed their gaze but there was nothing in the sky. But a presence—an unconscious presence, but a presence nonetheless—was felt right between them, solidifying with every second that passed…

* * *

Eona awoke, achy and sore, to find herself being carried on the back of Ryko. He must've heard her yawn because he turned his head abruptly, almost knocking into her, the same way he'd done when they were sneaking into the royal palace to free Ido.

She heard a quiet little gasp to her left and tried to lift her head. It was too heavy, so she settled for turning it. She saw that her mother was walking right beside Ryko, looking up at Eona with bright eyes. "You're awake!" She reached up gently and stroked Eona's hair. "Kat is still asleep. A shame, I'm sure she'd want to be here as you woke up."

Ryko grunted. Eona tiredly said, "Wha…what happened?"

"I'll tell you about it later."

"Tell me now."

She felt him sigh. He explained to her how she had died when connecting to her dragon power and using all of her life energy to destroy part of the prison. Eona's arms tightened around him as he explained that part and the one after—where Kat and Ido brought her back. She glanced to her far right—Kat was unconscious, draped over her brother's back, and Ido was unconscious as well, being carried over Tozay's shoulder, though not as gently as Kat and Eona were on their carriers. She wondered what would happen when he woke up. Or how many of his people were coming after them already. How far were they on their trail? Ryko went on to explain that they'd since lost their pursuers, but when they'd escaped the prison as one giant group, they were scattering in different directions in the ensuing chaos. Someone made sure to carry her in their arms and hold on tightly while running; he couldn't remember who it was. Ryko was busy fighting guards and soldiers as they hurried out, Kygo in the lead, and it was always Ryko's duty to protect the emperor. At the mention of fighting, Eona perked up and asked where her swords were. Ryko calmly reassured her that Kenzo had them safely stashed away with his other weapons. Ryko noted one particular moment when he noticed Chart had somehow gotten a hold of them in all of the chaos, swinging them wildly at just about anyone that came his way, his inexperience clear, his eyes wide and alarmed. Rilla had screamed, _'Chart, what are you DOING?' _Ryko had taken one of the swords from him and helped fight off remaining soldiers.

It was a lot for Eona to take in. She took another sidelong glance at Kat fast asleep on Dimitri. She looked younger, even more childlike. Her face looked pallid and soft and pure. She turned her head forward again and leaned toward Ryko's ear. "Is everyone alright?"

The five second hesitation before Ryko answered was more than she could bear. "Three people were captured and…killed. Felix, Vida, and…Mama Momo."

A dreadful jolt went through Eona's body. Her body was still too tired to move much, but her grip around Ryko tightened and the knowledge sent piercing pounding through her head. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing. Felix, whom they'd just met, and was loyal to them all the way. Vida, someone she'd known for much longer and who hopefully was now resting in the garden of the gods, with her other loved ones and fiancée. Eona didn't want to think about how hard this must all be for Tozay and Ryko. Mama Momo…a pulsing headache erupted in her head. It began to pound away as she started to slur out the words, "I'm s—"

"Do not apologize. It is not your fault. You had no control over it, and we might all have died if you hadn't somehow connected to your dragon." Pausing, he added, "This was never going to be an easy battle. We were bound to lose people."

They went on silently for a while, Eona letting all of the news sink in, wanting desperately to fall back into unconsciousness again. But she couldn't possibly do that now. Though her body still felt weighted down and completely lacking in energy, she was mentally more alive than ever.

"Ryko," she eventually said.

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

"We're heading back to our village, Eona. Miraculously they haven't reached it yet. It is still intact and so far as we know, the villagers are still there, waiting for us."

Eona nodded. "Ryko."

"What."

"What's our next plan of action?"

"We'll discuss this later, my Lady."

She let this mull over in her for a couple minutes, becoming more nauseous with every minute that passed. She hadn't realized it when she awoke, but all of the events of the days past were catching up with her, creating a murky sea of sickness in her stomach and rising up to her throat.

"R-Ryko."

"_What?_"

Eona tried to sound urgent, but any breath she took or word she spoke threatened to release everything. "Put me down, quick."

"Absolutely not. Eona, you are in no shape to walk. You may be awake now, but you still need to rest. A lot."

"But I'm going to—" At that moment, a long stream of bile erupted from her mouth and trailed down Ryko's chest, a liquid river of a brownish-green. Grimacing, Ryko knelt down and as gently as humanly possible when one wanted to scream, and released Eona. She stumbled to the ground and Lillia rushed over.

"Oh dear," she sighed. "Are you alright?" She dabbed at Eona's mouth gently with a cloth.

"Thank you for giving me warning," Ryko grumbled, wiping off the front of him, grimacing some more.

"I tried…" Eona muttered.

As soon as they were both cleaned up, they caught up with the rest of the group and eventually reached the encampment.

It turned out Ido's men had in fact caught up to it.

Cabins were demolished, far more than there'd been when the mudslide happened. Eona didn't want to think about the casualties that might've occurred. In place of the cabins were tents. It looked like a completely different village now from the one she'd grown accustomed to. Ryko, Dimitri, and her mother stopped at a tent that contained four sleeping spaces. It was to be for Eona, Kat, Dimitri, and Lillia.

Kat was gently laid down on the one at the far right, and Eona was set down just beside her. Eona and Lillia argued for a couple minutes. Lillia insisted she stay and rest until she was practically shouting over Eona. Dela and her father joined and her father offered Dimitri some male clothes to wear, to which Dimitri was beyond grateful for. Eventually Dela and Ryko left and everything died down. Lillia and Dimitri went out of the tent their own ways, and fatigue took over Eona once again. The last thing she saw before her eyes fell shut was Kat's pale skin, and orange hair draped along her pillow.


	18. Past Demons

**Chapter 18—Past Demons**

She opened her eyes to a soundless small room. No, not room, she realized. The surroundings were too soft and fluent, gently fluttering from the faint breeze outside. A tent. She noticed her head, arm, and hand were all covered in gauze. It was all beginning to come back to Kat now. The dirty chipping prison bars. The small barely-breathable rooms. Ido.

Kat sat up and nearly vomited.

"Kat." When Eona came into her vision, a wave of relief rolled through her and washed the nausea away. She was all she could see, with the light of the lantern behind her, lighting up her whole face, all of her best features glowing. It didn't matter that she had one black eye, a couple of teeth missing, and a swollen lip. Which was probably the absolute best a person could get from a building tumbling down on them. It was strange how even after she'd been brought back to life she still looked the same as she did in death, whereas Ryko had visibly recovered from the physical damage the war had done to him. But she didn't question it. All that mattered was that Eona was alive, and recovering.

Kat reached out and touched Eona's arms, putting one hand on each. She started midway between her shoulder and elbow and slowly sliding down to her forearms, as if to make sure she was real. She glanced up at Eona, lifting her hand to her hair. She cautiously and delicately stroked it. "Oh my," she whispered, tears almost making their way out of her eyes. "It worked. You're back."

Eona nodded. She glanced to her right, Kat's left. Kat glanced over and saw Dimitri's sleeping form right beside her. He was also out of the dress and in men's clothes. Warmth filled her. Having both him and Eona there made her feel safe. And as trivial as one's clothes were, the fact that he was wearing what he wanted reminded her that they were no longer prisoners.

Kat started to sit up. "You need to rest more," Eona said, holding a hand out. And she couldn't be more right. Kat felt the nausea rise up again as she reached a full sitting position. Slowly, she settled back down. She was in touching distance of Dimitri and wrapped her hand around his warm arm. If she lay still enough, she could not feel any pain at all and just pretend the world was all quiet and peace.

She hadn't realized she'd still been holding Eona's hand until she looked up at her and saw Eona's fingers twined with hers, staring down calmly at Kat. She explained everything to Kat about how she awoke after they escaped. Slowly but surely Kat began to doze off again, her hand falling from Eona's. Eona let it go, setting it down on Kat's chest as she watched the steady rise and fall of the young girl's chest.

* * *

When Eona stood, her vision nearly left her, the edges blackening a bit before slowly coming back. "Oh, Eona!" came a surprised voice. "I didn't know you were awake—you really should lie back down. Or at least sit."

Eona did just that, closing her eyes for a second before opening them back up again. Rilla and Chart had entered the tent, Rilla carrying with her some food and water. "We figured you, Kat, and Dimitri might want some of this when you're ready. Don't worry, it'll stay warm for a long time. In fact it might be too hot right now," Rilla added, sniffing the bowls before setting them both down. Steam rose from it and Eona could feel the heat from where she sat. Rilla also set down the canteen that she had hanging from her shoulder.

When Eona looked over at Chart, she noticed he was carrying two heavy sword sheaths—her swords.

"Oh, uh, these are yours. We were able to retrieve them in the aftermath of you and your dragon…um."

"I think what he means to say is that _he_ retrieved them," said Rilla, a smile playing around on her lips. "You should've seen him, Eona. He was waving them around like he was going to fight someone or something." Though mostly amused at this point, Rilla also had a clear edge to her voice.

Eona glanced at Chart with concern and amazement. "Really?"

"Yes." After setting both swords down gently, he looked down at his hands, fiddling with his fingers. "I'm sorry, Eona."

"You don't need to apologize. You were just defending yourself. It's—not as if I was using them."

Chart looked back up and smiled. "I thought it would help me, but, I think it made it a lot worse actually. I thought it would make me _less_ vulnerable, not more."

"It can, in a way, make you a little more vulnerable, because when someone sees you with a weapon, they see you as more of a threat. Thus, they're more likely to attack." She bit her lip. "You also had two swords instead of one."

Chart made a nervous laugh. "That makes sense, now that I think about it. In fact, I was really lucky Ryko and Dela were there to help me." He squinted his eyes, as if trying to get a closer look at her face. "I never thought there'd be a day where you'd be in worse shape than me."

"_Chart_," said Rilla.

Eona shrugged. "It's alright. I never thought so either. It seems the dragon power comes and goes. Perhaps they fulfilled their purpose this time, just like the other times."

"Perhaps," Rilla said pensively. "But no matter. You'll heal soon enough, Eona. It's…it's a miracle you're okay."

A certain heaviness settled among them in the air, each of them remembering the destruction the Mirror Dragon had caused in its wake, in its fury and grief over Eona's death. _Was it avenging me?_ Eona wondered. All that she knew for sure was that there was still that empty sad place left in her where her dragon power had been. However, now it was more bearable with her loved ones by her side.

* * *

A little later, Kat and Dimitri awoke. Dimitri and Kat sat huddled up together and Eona briefly left the tent, despite Kat's insistence that she stay, to give the two some time alone together. Both of them had not seen each other for years. They not only had gone through the great ordeal that she had, but their own for much longer. In the meantime, Eona practiced some more with her swords, trying to get some of her fighting spirit back, not daring to let all that had happened defeat her.

When she arrived back at the tent, Dimitri had gone out to walk, get some fresh air, and possibly to mingle with some of the men. Kat pleaded Eona to stay.

"Are you sure?" Eona kept asking. "The two of you can have as much time as you need. And I'm sure you're still recovering."

"I feel a lot better," Kat said with a tired smile. Then she frowned.

"What's wrong?" Eona asked.

"I'm bleeding," Kat said. "And…" She put a hand to her head, lightly brushing the side of it that was now nothing more than mere fuzz and gauze from where she'd had her hair ripped out. "I bet I look awful."

"You don't." Eona knelt down in front of her. "You're on your Moon Cycle."

"Yes. I suppose I am. The cramps are already starting."

Eona and Rilla brought extra sanitary cloth for Kat, and Eona and Kat decided to get started on their soup. Which was, surprisingly, still warm. They invited Rilla to stay, but she declined, wanting to get back to her son and cherish all of these moments everyone was getting to have together after being prisoners for days. An aroma met Kat like the gates to heaven had opened up.

Eona handed her a bowl of soup. "Eat slowly," she warned. "If your stomach is still sensitive it might not want much in the way of food right now. But drink lots of water."

Kat refrained from digging right into the warm steaming broth even though she was definitely hungry and not nauseous anymore. She took one wonderful bite after another, and then another—savoring and cherishing each one and its qualities. Her stomach and whole body thanked her for this. The soup had a tangy flavor to it. When she looked in the bowl she found chunks of meat, carrots, spices, some other vegetables she didn't know. One was green and had somewhat of a crunch to it—

Kat started coughing and sputtering. She wasn't choking, she wasn't sick, and the food tasted amazing. But her mouth was on fire and her eyes were burning and watering.

Eona glanced up in alarm and passed the water canteen over to Kat. Kat took it gratefully in both hands and gulped much of it down. Her tongue still burned but it was much more tame now and she was beginning to feel a little better.

Eona looked at Kat's bowl and sighed. "Eastern Island peppers. You're not by any chance allergic to them are you?"

"Not…that I know of. Is that what the green vegetable is?"

"Yes. They're very spicy. But we're so used to them here. I'm sorry."

Kat shook her head. "No, no—" she took another sip—"it's good, it's good! I'm just…not as accustomed to spices or spicy food as you are, I guess."

A sympathetic smile spread across Eona's face. "If you want, we can switch soups if it helps. It's your choice."

"Sure. Um, okay. Are you okay with that?"

"Sure," Eona said smiling, handing over her wooden bowl and spoon. "I think maybe you'll be able to tolerate this one a little more."

It was chicken with onions and tomatoes. Kat probably could've eaten it forever.

When both were done, Eona took Kat's bowl along with hers and exited the tent. Little did she know who she would see on the other side. Chart, Ryko, and another person.

Sho.

His face fell at the sight of her. "Eona," he said, "your face."

"It's not as bad as it looks." She glanced at Chart and Ryko. What were they doing there? Sho knew Ryko, but not Chart. They both glanced at each other and looked worried. "What's going on?"

"Eona," Chart said, taking a tentative step forward and reaching his hand out as though to touch her. "We thought maybe it would be easier for you to take it with someone here you're familiar with. Me, and Ryko, since he knew Ai—uh, Sho, as well. And you're mother is asleep right now, but she knows as well."

_Ai._ "Ai?" she asked. "My brother?" She took a hard look at Sho now.

The uncanny familiarity. The unexplainable comfort she felt when she was around him. The small sense of ease and relief she felt when she was around him. Almost as though she knew he was meant to protect her, to be her guardian, somehow. It had never made sense before.

"Yes," he said with a sad, resigned smile. "Sho is not my name. My name is Ai. Hello, Eona. You are my sister."


	19. Ai's Tale

**Chapter 19—Ai's Tale**

Eona and Ai went to sit on a rock near the edge of the camp, slightly hidden among some trees, for privacy. Ryko and Chart had watched them go with uncertainty. She could tell Ryko still didn't fully trust him, even if he did save their lives, as he had trust issues with anyone who went by a different identity, no matter the circumstances. However, she didn't know what the circumstances were with Ai.

"When I went off to war years ago, I was taken in as a prisoner at the very village you and Ryko ended up in. They decided not to kill me, since I was so young, if I only agreed to change my name and identity completely and work for them for the rest of my life. And never try to escape or try to find my family or anyone I knew. And never divulge my past to anyone." His mouth set in a grim line. "And that's what I did." He wasn't looking at Eona. She realized that this entire time, he hadn't looked at her once. "And I saw what they did to some of the other soldiers. The older soldiers, that they thought were useless and could do nothing for them. They not only killed them, they dehumanized them. They tortured them in ways you wouldn't believe. They did unspeakable things that only a monster, not a man, could do. I…suppose I was afraid." His voice became lower at that last word and he hung his head in shame. "I was a coward, and it was very despicable of me that I had you and our mother think that this whole time I was dead. But I really was trying all of these years to think of a way to find you guys."

Eona felt her entire body burn, as if it was on fire. It started in the pit of her stomach and rose to her chest, crashing like a tidal wave. But it wasn't anger toward Ai. It was anger towards the situation, the circumstances that led to this. It was, for all purposes, anger towards life itself.

"Eona?" Ai asked anxiously. "You look disturbed. Though I cannot blame you one bit."

"I'm not disturbed."

"It's a lot to take in. You have every right to be angry with me."

"I am not angry with you." _Snap!_ They both looked down. Eona had involuntarily ripped a loose twig out of the rock. She threw it on the ground and sighed. "I'm angry, but not at you. How could I be? You were the victim in this."

"I suppose," he said uncertainly, "but I should've told you straight from the start who I was."

"You recognized me from the moment you saw me?"

"I recognized you from the moment I saw you," he said softly. "I know it seems impossible, after all of these years, but I would recognize the face and eyes and voice of my little sister in any era, in any state of mind. Some things just don't change with age or experience, no matter what direction your life has taken. But I kept quiet because I didn't want to cause you any panic. As usual, I took forever trying to formulate a plan, and the bad guys were able to get to you before I was." He frowned.

"You got to us though. You helped Ryko and I escape. If it hadn't been for you we would've been dead."

"Well, it was a close call. Besides, both of you were doing a good job fighting for yourselves anyway. Far better than I would've faired."

"You should give yourself more credit. You're a survivor. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Ai smiled, the first hopeful smile she'd seen on him since she'd met him as Sho. Even as Sho, his smiles were forced and overly-happy, as though he knew how bad things were but refused to act like they were. "As I said, I was trying to find a way to look for you guys, for so many years. Then I heard about Eona, the Mirror Dragoneye."

Eona bristled. Now it was her turn to get judged. "You must've heard some pretty bad things about me then."

Ai frowned. "No, not really. What are you talking about?" Eona thought for a moment he was lying, but she could see no trace of a lie in his eyes. He genuinely meant it. "All I ever heard were good things about you. You were the savior of the Celestial Empire. Everybody loved you."

Eona shook her head. "Everybody does not love me. But it's okay."

"Ah, well, who's loved by all? It is not attainable." He cleared his throat, and continued, "I heard so many great things about her…but the thing I couldn't stop thinking about was that she was my little sister." He paused and gave a small smile. "I guess this is just something you and I are naturals at. Masquerading as other people."

She heard a rustle amongst the trees and bushes and caught sight of Ryko and Chart. Chart saw her looking at him, stepped out of the trees, and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay," Eona said. She looked at Ai. He nodded his head, indicating that he had finished.

"If it's alright, the emperor would like to see you. He says it's urgent. There's no danger or threat," he added, "but it's important."

Eona raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. Ai placed a hand on her shoulder. "We will speak more later. I understand you have responsibilities to attend to," he said. "Being the Mirror Dragoneye."

"Technically, I'm not a Dragoneye at all anymore," she said.

"Once a Dragoneye, always a Dragoneye," he said with conviction. "You've performed the duty twice in your young life, with very little help. I think if anyone is capable, it would be you…Eona."

Eona felt her cool and calm resolve slowly start to disintegrate. She didn't know what to say. This was a much different attitude than she'd been used to receiving, and they'd only just met each other very recently.

She followed Chart and Ryko through the trees, back through the encampment, where the young emperor was standing, his hands clasped in front of him, all emotion stripped from his face.

"My Lady," he said, "we have serious unfinished business we still need to address."

Eona braced herself. "Are you talking about Kat?"

Brief surprise flickered across his eyes. Then he regained his composure. "No," Kygo said. "It is about three people who are still currently prisoners, under our jurisdiction. I do not mean Ido. I mean Yuso, Ranne, and Heuris Brannon."

Eona tensed. She had not forgotten about them, the shock of Ido having brought them back. But she had put it in the back of her mind until now.

"We know that you have already been through a number of traumatic events," Kygo said slowly, "but seeing as we don't know how much longer this will all last, I took it upon myself to ask you as soon as possible if you would like to go and address them. It is your choice."

Eona could practically hear the crickets chirping at the uncomfortable silence that followed, everyone waiting for her answer. Dela had come over. Her, Ryko, Chart, Kygo, and a few others standing guard were all looking at her with anticipation, awaiting her answer.

She raised her head, erasing all fear from her eyes and her posture. "I will see them now."

* * *

"Ryko and Lady Dela will accompany you to the prisoners," Kygo said. "I trust you can take care of yourself, and I trust they won't even try anything. And that even if they could, there is still a guard nearby and they are still chained up. Nevertheless," he said with such intensity Eona briefly wondered if the flicker that crossed his eyes was real of if she just imagined it, "I will take no risks." It was gone as fast as it had appeared.

Ryko and Dela's faces looked grim and Lady Dela nodded at Eona before turning and heading to where Eona was about to face these three men that she thought she'd never see again—and who had all put her in imminent danger.

She was surprised to find them leading her to a small stone enclosure with no more space than a cave. In fact, it may as well have been a cave with how dark and cramped it was. There were two torches on the walls, one on each side, shining down on the three prisoners, crammed together. All looked miserable. Each of them were tied up by ropes and there was a guard standing behind them, clearly as miserable to be in the small, practically airless space as they were. But he did his duty without complaint.

The only other bit of light came from the small doorway, and when it slammed shut, it grew significantly dimmer. Dela and Ryko stood behind Eona, so quiet she could barely even hear them breathing, as she gazed from one face to another. All so familiar, with so much she knew about each of them, yet all so alien to her at the same time. All of their eyes were empty as they gazed back.

The first person she came to was Yuso. He looked so far removed from what she'd come to know him as. When she first saw him, he was loyal to the emperor, would do anything for the rightful emperor to the throne. He'd saved Eona's life, and she'd saved his. She knew, looking into his eyes, that he was reliving the same memories. And his betrayal to his empire was not only a huge betrayal to her, but a betrayal to the shared trust the two of them had. Now, he seemed older and sadder. Defeated. A man that took a wrong turn, from honor to shame and despair.

"My Lady," he said in a rough, broken voice.

Ryko snorted. She thought she heard Dela let out an audible sigh.

"I am no longer your Lady," Eona said. "You are not a part of this army. You decided that yourself a long time ago."

"I know. I was trying to help my son." He took in a noticeably trembling breath. "You don't know what kind of lengths a parent will go through just to save their own child. They'll literally do anything."

"And did you?"

"No," he said, voice heavy. "I did not. I hope he is walking amongst the garden of the gods right now." He paused, and he craned his head around Eona so that his next words were clearly directed at Dela. "You were willing to sacrifice a great many people to save Ryko. For that, I do not see how you are very much different from me, Lady Dela."

Dela sucked in a breath.

After nearly a minute of silence, Eona said, "If you truly are sorry, maybe the gods will forgive you too."

He shifted on the ground, suddenly restless even though he'd been still as stone just a moment before.

Next up was Ranne. Eona had shared some good times with him.

She could remember what he'd called her—'Eon-jah'—the slur for crippled people. She could remember when she'd had to face him in the ring, the day the Rat Dragoneye apprentice was to be picked. That was all she'd been hoping to become. She'd never have imagined all that followed. She'd fought him hard and swift, and people were impressed by this crippled boy giving the trainer, Ranne, a challenge. Eona had fainted sometime during it and had awoken to her master, Brannon, leaning over her and comforting her.

His eyes were bulging in a psychotic way that almost made Eona want to take a step back, but she stood her ground. He sputtered, something she had never, in all her training sessions as Eon, heard him do before. "You're a—you're a girl!"

Eona raised an eyebrow. "Yes." She wanted to say something like, _'Haven't you heard?'_ or _'Oh really? I hadn't known' _but she could not bring herself to joke or use sarcasm right now. This was all that was said between either of them.

The last man. Heuris Brannon. Her former master. Former Tiger Dragoneye and her former caretaker. He was a former of a lot of things. She still remembered the garden at his estate, with the gray stone fence that surrounded the Moon Garden and the Tiger insignia that symbolized his place once held as a Dragoneye Lord. In his eyes she saw regret and remorse. And she knew that in hers, he could see the mix of emotions stirring in her stomach right in that moment: Shock, anger, pity, sorrow. Sadness.

Love.

She still loved him as her master, as her guardian, as the man who made her. Who made it possible for her to become what she became.

And that made her angrier than anything.

"You should have told me the truth," she said. Her voice sounded hollow, empty, and it echoed off the ancient stone walls.

"I suppose you will never forgive me. And I do not deserve your forgiveness. But I am sorry for hurting you. I am not sorry for why I did it. What I did, I did in your best interest. It was the best thing for you. Either that, or leave you to starve or be beaten to death on that farm. To meet death before you even reached the ripe age of sixteen. I am sorry, not for what I did, but that it was the only option." His eyes stared unblinkingly right back at hers, smoldering like a dying piece of ember that had been burning for longer than normal. She didn't take her gaze off him as well. It was like they were having a staring contest.

This man was where she had learned it all from. The lies, the pretending, the ability to keep secrets. She'd never opened up to anyone again after he'd died.

"You still should have told me the truth. Rather than lying to me about it being an accident."

"You're right. I should have. But at the time, it seemed best to keep it under wraps. I knew you'd be just as upset with me, and not as able to focus on your mission to connect with a dragon and do your duty. I would have told you, one day. Unfortunately that day was not able to come."

"Would you really have told me? Before someone else did?"

"Yes. I would have preferred it to be me. But, I'm glad you were able to learn of the truth nonetheless, even with all of the pain that came with it. You deserve to know."

"Master."

"Do not call me Master. I stopped being your Master a long time ago, Lady Eona." Hearing him say her name, her _real_ name, sent chills down her spine. She had lived her life for so long never expecting him to speak to her like that in any situation. To speak up to her with so much respect.

"It hurts. It will always hurt. And I will always be angry with you." She clenched her fist, and forced out the words before she could back out and always look back with regret on how she could've settled this once and for all. "But one day, one day soon, I will forgive you." She promptly turned and walked at a brisk pace past Dela, Ryko, and Kygo. They all seemed to know that she needed her space now because none of them tried to stop her.

* * *

Trying to shake off the bleak mood, she returned to her tent to a pleasant surprise—Kat, Dimitri, and Ai. Kat was holding the dress Dimitri had been forced to wear when they were imprisoned. Amazingly it was still all intact, clean, and beautiful. Kat lowered it upon seeing Eona's face. "What happened? You look distressed."

"I made peace with my m—Lord Brannon."

"He is no longer even a Lord," Ai said. "And with what he did to you…" He trailed off and then closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I have no place and no right to judge, as I wasn't there. Only you really know what happened. I'm just…" Ai looked up, looking at Eona with only a brotherly kind of care and protection.

"We thought you could maybe try this dress on," Kat said, breaking the silence cheerfully. "That is, if you want to. You don't have to if you don't want to. I wouldn't blame you, as dresses are hard to move around in. It's just that we don't know what else to do with it, and it'd be a shame to waste such a pretty dress, and—"

"You want _me_ to try it on?" Eona asked, not bothering to hide her surprise. "Wouldn't it look better on you?"

"Oh no," Kat said, vigorously shaking her head. "And also, I—we—wanted to give it to you."

"To me?" Eona gawked. "You mean as a gift?"

"Yes. To—to apologize for almost getting you killed."

"_What_?" Eona asked, astonished. "You didn't almost get me killed, Kat. You didn't do anything. You were the victim too."

"I was the one that called out your name when you were fighting that guy," Kat said. "You had to heal yourself because you were wounded. Because you were distracted. It's just that that's the area I was crossing through—the area I was being crossed through—and I saw you, in the distance, and I stupidly thought to call you. Or rather, I didn't think at all. I was just so glad to see you. I thought maybe I'd been imagining it." She bit her lip. "Oh gods. I think I may have been the cause for them finding out you were a girl."

_And I thought I'd been imagining the voice. _It was all starting to dawn on Eona now. The village she saw Ryko in. Her name being called. She'd never known who did it. She'd forgotten all about it.

She was about to protest that it still wasn't Kat's fault, that Eona had gotten caught herself, when Kat said, "Would you like to try it on? I'm sure it's just the right size." She added quietly, "Besides, even if I didn't owe you, and even if you didn't save all of us, why not give you something just because I love you?"

Eona felt her heart warm as she walked up to Kat and lightly touched her face. The gesture almost felt too intimate in front of their brothers, so she drew her hand back and accepted the dress. "I'll try it on," she said. "I hope I don't disappoint."

"You could never disappoint. Let me know if you need any help." They shared one last look into each other's eyes that sent Ai and Dimitri glancing at each other curiously before the three of them left the tent, leaving Eona some privacy.

When Eona came out a few minutes later, she had the dress on, and Kat thought she looked even more perfect than she had imagined. She hadn't needed help at all—she was somehow able to get it to fit in all the right areas, not seeming to have struggled like Kat most likely would have. The dress was clearly bigger on her than it had been on Dimitri. The thin sleeves clung to her skin but the bottoms of them went well past her fingertips. The hem of the dress went a little past her feet. Kat thought it looked better that way, though she was ready to walk by Eona's side in case she had trouble walking that way.

She looked like a princess. A princess who could kick someone's ass if they dare tried to harm her.

"It fits you like a glove!" Kat said.

Ai looked at Eona up and down with wide eyes and nodded. "It's…beautiful. I've never seen a dress like that before."

"Do you want to see for yourself?" Kat asked. "I don't think there's a mirror around here anywhere, but maybe we could look in the reflection of the lake not too far away."

Eona smiled and nodded. Dimitri, who'd been exploring the area more than they had in the past couple of hours, led them to a small lake just a few yards off the encampment. The water was clear and still enough to capture all of their reflections perfectly, along with the trees and the sky. It was like a real mirror; Eona felt if she stepped foot in it, it would shatter rather than splash. She remembered all the different circular-shaped mirrors she would see in the courts and palaces that each had carvings of the various Celestial dragons and their animals on the borders and the backs. With the Mirror one, it had contained a mirror on both sides. She imagined most of them had been destroyed during the war, whether when Ido killed the other Dragoneye lords, or when they'd broken him out of prison.

Kat nodded her approval. She came up behind Eona and comfortable wrapped her arms around her. Eona was glad Kat felt more comfortable now. No longer as timid or nervous around her as she'd once been.

"It suits you a lot better than it suits me," Dimitri said, nodding seriously.

Eona had known he'd changed back into men's clothes when they arrived at the camp, but since he'd gone right to sleep afterwards, this was the first time she really saw him. His hair was tied back, a couple loose strands falling out, his tunic and trousers made his small arms appear a little more muscular, and when he walked in his boots he didn't seem quite as delicate anymore as he had when he'd had nothing on his feet at all. She almost couldn't tell this was the same man who'd been in that gorgeous black dress at all when they were imprisoned.

"You look gorgeous," Kat said, "doesn't she look gorgeous?"

"Both you girls look great," agreed Dimitri.

Ai's mouth was in a thin line and at first Eona thought he might've been mad for some reason. But soon she realized he was trying not to get emotional. He nodded at her and smiled, his eyes holding back tears, his Adam's apple throbbing. And it struck Eona that while Kat and Dimitri hadn't seen each other in a long time, they still remembered each other. And they'd each still had faith that the other was alive. Whereas she'd thought Ai was dead, couldn't remember anything about him—he'd been a stranger to her. As she'd been to him. His eyes seemed to say, _Let's not be strangers anymore. Let's be just like we were on the beach, as little kids, before anything went wrong._

And Eona wanted nothing more than that.

* * *

Still in her dress, Eona and Kat decided to go sit by a lake on the gravelly surface of rocks that bordered it on two sides. There was also a bench beyond the rocks on the grass, but they wanted to be closer to the lake. They held each other's hand, shoulder to shoulder.

"It's okay if you don't really like it," Kat said. "I myself don't like womanly clothing either. It is often uncomfortable, even painful at times." She grimaced. "I remember being forced to wear a dress once with a very, _very_ tight bodice. It was meant to line every part of a woman's body, of course I wasn't yet a woman and still have a long way to go. It was unbelievably tight, and I could barely breathe. I don't know why they do that to us."

"I'm sorry you had to wear that," Eona said. "But this is actually alright. Not as easy to move around in as trousers, of course, but it's easy enough. I don't feel as vulnerable in it as I have in other women's garments before."

Kat smiled. "That's good. Then you're getting the best of both—it's both beautiful, and it feels alright."

Eona's face warmed. "And I get to wear it while being with you." She squeezed her hand as she said this. _I get to have you see it. I get to have you _see_ me in it._

Kat squeezed her hand back. They gazed out toward the sun-stricken lake for about ten minutes in complete tranquil silence. Eventually Kat started to speak in that soft quiet voice of hers that Eona loved. It didn't seem to break the relaxing silence, only added something nice to it.

"My mother used to tell me that it was great I had my brother, because he was also my best friend. That one day I wouldn't have her or my father anymore, so me and Dimitri had to stick together." She paused. "But, as you and your brother did, we got separated. But something else my mother told me, even though she had no way of knowing our whole family was going to be ripped apart, was that one day if I could, I should also try to make friends with a girl too. Just to see what the experience was like." She paused again. Eona felt Kat turn toward he. Until then, they'd been speaking yet staring out to the lake, an oddly detached yet connected feeling at the same time. "I'm glad it was you. You've supported me so much, and I'm grateful for every moment we share together."

Eona turned and faced her, looking into Kat's dark blue eyes. "I'm glad I have you too. You've been the most supportive person I've ever known." So this was what a friendship felt like. She'd never thought she would ever experience a real one. But what was more, was that this was more than a friendship as well.

Behind them Eona heard someone approach—people approaching. They turned around and saw Ryko and Dela stop a few feet away from them. Eona and Kat stood and Ryko took a step toward Eona. "Can we go talk for a moment, My Lady?" He nodded toward a lone gazebo nearby, at a relatively far distance from the lake. She looked at Kat and Kat nodded.

"Alright," Eona said. Her and Kat held each other's hands for a brief moment before letting go and Eona walked off, following Ryko. She looked back and saw Dela and Kat standing together, watching them with apprehension. Probably each ready to jump over and defend their beloved the moment anything went wrong.

Climbing the steps to the gazebo, Ryko allowed Eona to pass through the narrow doorway first. They sat across from each other on the benches inside the gazebo.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," she said. She could tell he was staring at her bruise. In the pretty dress, she had to admit it did stand out in even more, in a deep contrast.

"My Lady. I think that dream you and I had…that we shared…of you trapped in that glass box, might've been another premonition."

Her eyebrows lifted and she said, "What do you think it might be a premonition of?"

"Ido is going to try to trap you somehow, by taking advantage of your weaknesses. This should be nothing new to you. But I believe because he still has his dragon power and you don't, he's at a clear advantage."

"Yes. He is." He was at a clear advantage over all of them.

"You can still beat him, My Lady. And we all know it. The important thing is that you know it."

"I do." Though even she could hear the waver in her voice. It was hitting her hard now—she no longer had her dragon power. No longer a Dragoneye. No more connection to the Mirror Dragon, no more magic. No more guidance from Eona, the Mirror Dragon.

"Eona." She looked back up, not realizing she'd been gazing at the ground, her hands nervously fiddling with each other. "I mean it. Do not let the end of your dragon power be the end of you. You always did have a hard time separating the two—the dragon power, and your own power. You always seemed to think the dragon power was all that you were made of, forgetting the power you used to get you to that point in the first place. Which was courage. Which as we've all seen, you still have."

Eona gave a half-smile. She was terrified in that prison. She was sure she was going to die. Kat was the one who rescued her. Eona had not been feeling brave at all. Perhaps it was only when you were the most fearful that you were the most brave, and when you're feeling the most brave (such as Ido) you were actually the most cowardly. The complications of it all were quickly giving her a headache.

"I suppose it's mostly our faults. Your life must've taken a completely drastic change when you were chosen, and you must've been scared to go back."

Nodding, Eona said, "Yes." The time between the end of the war and when she'd regained her dragon power was one of the most depressing times of her life. She'd pushed it down and continually forced herself out of bed every morning, into the outside world. But the depression had always still been there.

"But even then, when you were crippled and in your Master's wing and in his debt, would you have let Lord Ido take you down?"

"No." Even on one leg she still got around. Even with people shaming her, even her Swordmaster, she still tried out for the Rat Dragoneye apprentice spot. And even back on the salt farm, parentless and friendless save for Dolana, who'd died right before her eyes, Eona learned to be like a boy, live as a boy, in order to find her way into being a girl again, and then a woman.

"Then don't let him take you down now. Now more than ever." Eona nodded. Ryko nodded back. They looked at each other for a moment in complete understanding, something they hadn't shared in for so long, Eona almost wondered if she was imagining it.

"I also wanted to let you know that I've learned a lot since…since you brought me back," Ryko said. Eona glanced at him, her curiosity spiking.

"The thing that I didn't realize was that some things are out of our control. All of our control. Nobody can truly control the forces of nature. Not even a Dragoneye, because he or she still has to use a dragon to do it. No one is infinitely powerful." He took a deep breath. "You had no training at all when you were first chosen as the Mirror Dragoneye. You tried to vocalize that, but I was…petrified by how my life was literally in your hands that I could not react in anything but fear and anger. Which caused you to react in nothing but fear and anger. This made everything so much harder for us than it had to be." He took a deep breath. "I was wrong. We were wrong. I made everyone, including you, think that you were enslaving me on purpose, like you had a real _intention_ to do so. Because it was so much easier to blame somebody than to accept things as is. I never stopped to think at the time about how just because certain outcomes or certain consequences aren't how we want them to be, that doesn't mean anybody planned for them to be." He held her eyes for a minute, though it felt like a long stretch of time. It felt like if Eona took her eyes away he would disappear and everything would break and shatter. The space between them was suddenly very uncomfortable. "What I'm trying to say, My Lady, is that I'm sorry."

Eona didn't know what to say. She imagined she'd ever hear those words coming out of Ryko's mouth. "Thank you," she said quietly. It was not unlike how she said 'Thank you' to him on the boat when he'd handed over her swords during the war. Only that was a different time, a different her, and a different Ryko. She hoped she didn't look or sound disappointed. The truth was she felt a sort of happiness that had not been there for a very long time, not even when she had Kat by her side. It was like a feeling the weight of all of the previous dragons' grief being lifted up off of her, all of that power and responsibility no longer pinning her down. She could breathe easy, relief running all through her veins. It was the return of an old friend—she had her friend back.

"You have the courage of a warrior."

But that set off something more—something Eona had spent years perfecting to keep under control—her eyes watered and she bit both of her lips, using all of her will to keep herself composed.

Dela approached the gazebo and when she saw Eona, she cast a glare at Ryko. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing. Just that she has the courage of a warrior."

Dela gave a slow smile and turned to sit next to Eona. Kat was right behind her and sat down on the other side of Eona. She put a hand on hers. Dela said jokingly, "Isn't is usually _me_ who cries?"

Eona tried to laugh but only got out an awkward sobbing sound. This was embarrassing, but relieving. It seemed she had so little moments where she was sat down with the people she cared about and just let herself feel whatever she felt, rather than trying to suppress it.

"You look beautiful," Dela said. "Doesn't she look beautiful?"

Kat took Eona's hand. Together they walked back to their tent and fell asleep.

* * *

Eona awoke to shouts and screams outside the tent. She grabbed her swords and stepped out of the tent, looking around at all of the running panicking people and hysteria ensuing. She smelled smoke in the air. Tents were burning all around her. Her swords were already held up in front of her as she took a few steps forward, searching wildly for anyone she knew.

"Eona, what's going on?" Kat shrieked, right behind her now, bow and arrow at the ready. Dimitri was with her, his face gone white as bone.

"Eona!" Lady Dela appeared by her side, grabbing her arm. "We have to get out of here. Ido's men have found us—"

Just as she said this, two men flew into Eona's vision, lashing their swords at her. She blocked them and swung, landing a deep gash in one of the men's arms. Kat landed an arrow in the other's chest, and he fell over, heaving and twitching. The four of them ran as one unit, defending themselves from all directions, by now Dela swinging a sword of her own. Kat stayed attached to Dimitri, jumping in front of him with her archery anytime someone came near them. Dimitri, the only one of them without a weapon, stayed close on the heels of the three women as they plowed their way through the enemy.

Eventually they'd left the midst of the attack, but were still in plain sight of Ido's soldiers. Eona realized she'd been subconsciously following wherever Dela was going. They'd reached a chariot with two horses attached. Ryko was already on one of the horses, and Kygo raced around and started shoving them into the back. "Get in here, hurry, hurry, hurry!" Kygo ordered. Eona tried to protest, but he wouldn't have it. "GET IN!"

Cursing, Eona got in after Dela, Kat, and Dimitri. The carriage was topless but the walls were high enough to hide them from view. Kygo must've gotten on the other horse because the carriage started to race at a heated speed, the air whipping against their hair. It might've slammed them into the walls had it not been that the four crammed together inside the small space that was clearly meant for only two.

The carriage shook right as Eona saw one of the enemy troops crouched on the edge, glowering down at them. His sword was raised in the air, ready to slice down on all of them. Kat stretched out her bow and arrow in front of Dimitri while he leaned behind her, gripping her shoulder. He looked frazzled and lost and flustered. Eona felt bad for him, clearly not having any experience fighting, and this was more than out of his element. Kat's bow shot off a single deadly blow, and the soldier was knocked off the ledge.

Their rickety ride lasted about ten more minutes. No one said a word, and there were no more attacks. It eventually reached a point where Eona knew they'd gotten far enough away from Ido's men.

She'd thought too soon; for when they stopped, and they had just started climbing out, a burning torch flew into their carriage, landing right inside where'd they'd just been sitting momentarily before. There was much commotion that could be heard toward the front of the carriage, and the person who'd thrown the torch went running for the trees. Eona and Dela chased after him, losing him entirely when they heard a blood-curdling scream behind them.

Eona turned and saw Kat tearing off her shirt, the cloth covered in red-orange flames that crackled and ate away at the fabric. She threw it back at the carriage, now equally covered in flames. Ryko had freed the horses from it, one of which went dashing off madly in the opposite direction of the path that the soldier had.

Kat stood their petrified, covering her bare chest. Eona went up and put her hands on her shoulders, shielding her and glancing at the rest of them awkwardly. She didn't know exactly what to do. Eona was still in the dress Dimitri had given her. Dimitri and Dela were mortified at the thought of taking their own shirts off, showing their true bodies. Eventually they all turned to Ryko and he grunted unhappily, taking his tunic off and grudgingly handing it to Eona. She helped pull it over Kat's head, taking the hair from the side Kat still had it and pulling it gently through the neck hole. It was huge on her, but Kat let out a sigh of relief, covered up once again.

"Where is Kygo?" Dela asked timidly, as if not wanting to have to ask at all.

"They've taken him," Ryko reported gravely. "They've taken the emperor."


	20. A New Empire

**So this is the final chapter...there is a lot of death in it, so sorry if that upsets anybody. I also don't know if it's that good or not, but I tried.**

**And don't ask why I decided to sort of copy something from Aladdin...I just felt like it.**

**Chapter 20—A New Empire**

It seemed like all in one breath they were back at the encampment. Only now it was in ruins, the tents shredded into mere scraps of fabric, and dust and smoke filling the air. Eona stopped where she was, barely able to breathe, only able to move her eyes around at all of the unshakeable carnage and cries of despair. They had been no match for the ambush, and had been vastly outnumbered. And even after all she'd been through, it was still so unreal to see it.

She hadn't realized she was just standing there until she noticed Kat by her side. She stood beside her, Dimitri in toe, afraid to move as well. Dela and Ryko had disappeared into the crowd. As if a flash set off in her, Eona began moving soundly throughout the camp, squeezing between people and around. She didn't know exactly what she was looking for. By the time she began to think about what direction she was heading in, she'd already reached her tent. In the distance she heard a wail and turned.

There in the middle of the camp was Rilla holding Chart in her arms. There was blood all soaked through the light material of his shirt. Even from where she stood, Eona could tell his spirit had already left this world. His arms seemed disturbingly more white than they'd ever been, while Rilla's were drenched with his blood.

She sensed a rustle from her tent and turned back.

"My Lady," Ryko said, grabbing her by the wrist. "Do not go in there."

"Why?" She maneuvered away from him, but he stood in front of the tent and blocked her. "What's going on?" She had to try a couple times before she raced around and dived into the tent. The sight was no beauty.

Ai knelt on the ground holding their fatally wounded mother, his chest heaving with silent sobs. He glanced up at Eona but was unable to get anything out other than high-pitched gasps. It was not anything Eona ever expected from Ai. His face twisted in pain and disbelief was so unlike the calm, quiet, and confident man she'd first met.

Quietly, she knelt down, seeing that Lillia was still alive, but only barely. Her body shook from head to toe, and her eyes listlessly rolled in Eona's direction before one final spasm overtook her body and it stilled. Eona put a hand to her wrist; Lillia's heart had stopped.

Eona tentatively touched Ai on the shoulder. He let out another low sob, staring down at his mother's body. She did not wish to disturb him any longer or take him away or intrude his private grieving. So with a heavy heart she turned and left the tent, barely making it one step out before being nearly knocked over by Rilla, engulfing her in her arms.

"Eona," Rilla whispered into her ear. She'd never heard or seen Rilla so emotional and out of control before. "You lost a mother and I lost a child. When will this stop?"

Eona embraced Rilla, not knowing what to say. She knew some people were staring and others tried to unsuccessfully turn away and give them privacy. But Eona didn't care either way. For the longest time they just hugged, because they didn't know how else to get through the searing agony.

When they separated, Eona could see that Rilla's face was red and raw, but she'd stopped crying. By now Ai had come out of the tent, allowing someone else to remove Lillia's body and bury it alongside the others. Many had gathered around Eona, as if expecting her to know what to do. People still, after all this time, expected her to know exactly what to do, and she still felt incapable. But she set her doubts aside and conjured up her mask of self-assurance.

"What do you propose we do, Lady Eona?" someone asked.

"We need to defeat Ido."

Ryko nodded. "Yes Eona." He seemed confused, like he didn't understand why she was saying something so obvious that everybody already knew.

"No, I mean we need to kill _him._ And _only _him. Defend yourself if anyone else gets in the way, but he is the heart and soul of this entire massive army. He is their god." The words chilled her just to say. "Sethon wanted to rule an empire, but Ido wants to rule the world. He wants to rule all magic and life and everything beyond that. And he is clever. You witnessed for yourself how manipulative he was when we were held captive. He is very, very, convincing to so many people. He is the thread that binds them together." People had started nodding their heads before she was finished. She saw Ai looking grim, traces of tears still on his face, but he was nodding along, determined. "If we kill him, we kill them all. They will not fight unless they have a cause, and the cause is him. He's a dead man brought back to life," she exclaimed, unable to contain herself now. "They've never seen anything like that—_we've _never seen anything like that!"

Dela and Ryko exchanged glances. Rilla bunched her hands together nervously and grievingly. Kat tensed considerably, her eyebrows bunched together.

"They're so awed by him, a man who's so powerful, that they don't realize what a monster he is. And they're willing to do anything for him."

"It's like he's the dragons' pearl itself," Ryko said quietly. "He is the source of their power and motivation."

Eona nodded. "Exactly. And we need to destroy it. Destroy his power. Destroy_ him_. No more tying him up or imprisoning him or taking him with us everywhere. His soldiers will come after us. They truly believe in him as their leader. The influence he has on them is dangerous. We need to end him once and for all before anyone else…" She trailed off.

"Before anyone else's loved one is killed," Rilla finished, in a surprisingly firm tone. One of the women standing beside her who'd been consoling her squeezed her arm and nodded her head. Eona looked over to Ai. More tears started to fall down his face, but he nodded in agreement.

There was a steady chorus of more agreement that seemed to ripple through the crowd, getting stronger. There didn't seem to be a single person who disagreed. There were things added, all of which Eona agreed with. "We need to stick together," said one person. "Going against each other is exactly what he wants," someone else added. "That will truly be the death of us all," someone else chimed in.

And following all of this, their plans were made. Ryko and Dela and several men were to go and search for the emperor. Eona had no idea if Kygo was alright, if Ido had intended to kill him or hold him as a hostage and use him as bait, or for another purpose completely. She had forced it to the back of her mind until now, and though she showed no signs of worry, inside she desperately hoped he was alright. Relations between them may have been rocky, but there had still been something there at one point. And he was so young…not ready to join the rest of his family that had left. He was the only loyal heir left.

The rest of their troops were to stay there and guard the villagers.

Eona was to go and find Ido. Her companions were going to include Kenzo and Shun. They were also going to include Yuso, Ranne, and Brannon. Ryko, Dela, and several others protested against Yuso being one of them, as he'd betrayed them all in the last war. But they reluctantly agreed when it became clear that he would be outnumbered and heavily supervised anyway. There would be too much against him for him to pull anything. Eona was also convinced that he really did want to redeem himself this time, though she didn't say so out loud.

Kat and Ai had both insisted on coming with her, but Eona was adamant that they stay put. "Please," she said, "we can't risk losing anyone else, and…you two are all I've got left." She bit her lip. "Please," she said desperately. She didn't even try to make it sound like an order, even though they would've obeyed. She needed them to understand.

"You might not come back," Kat said quietly.

"I know." Eona placed a hand on Kat's cheek, and their eyes burned into each other's for what seemed an eternity. "Be strong, Kat."

"Eona, be careful," Ai said. He reached out and grabbed her arm one last time. "You no longer have your dragon power—he does. Lord Ido is the last Dragoneye."

* * *

By now it was clear that every person who got brought back to life via Kat's power mixed with dragon magic gained some sort of power of their own. With Ryko it was having deadly visions. With Ido it was not being compelled. _A lot of good it does you now,_ Eona thought. And with Eona, she discovered a very bizarre sensation as soon as they set off to find Ido. She had not known where to start or which direction to go in. There was no _way_ she could know. And yet she did. It was like another sense. She knew it to be true like the back of her hand. At first she considered it might be one of her ancestresses, Kinra or Charra, guiding her, but the power didn't come from the swords. It came from her. Her dragon power might have been up, but she was still not entirely powerless.

Most of her fellow travelers believed her, but a few seemed very wary and unconvinced. Mostly Shun; he kept giving her sideways glances as if he were expecting her to change direction or change her mind at any given moment. She could hardly blame him—she could not explain the feeling of absolution in her that they were, in fact, going in the right direction, that they were on Ido's trail. That she felt the pull of it like a magnet, almost as if she were being compelled. Like she was a puppet on strings being dragged this way. She could not explain away any of it with anything sensible. It just was. There was no other explanation she could think of other than it being the power she'd gained from being revived. And she wondered what other powers there were that no one yet knew about.

It was strange that Ido would choose to go back to this place, after much of it had been destroyed in her last connection with the Mirror Dragon.

They'd come across the small tower in the midst of the woods.

There was no door as they silently walked in. It'd been ripped off its hinges. There was a large portion down the now semi-intact hallways to the right where debris lay, smoke and dust still present in the air, where they'd been kept prisoner and where a giant portion of the roof had been blown off. There was considerable damage to the entire foundation as cracks lay here and there that hadn't been around before, a threat of collapse that Eona didn't want to think about.

The strangest part though, was that there lay new things inside the building. They were ordinary objects, but their sizes did not match up to the environment. Even though the tower itself was small, everything inside it was large. Unlit candles about five feet tall stood on desks that spanned the length of the walls, along with vases as big and probably as heavy as wooden chests. It was as if a species of giant people unloaded their belongings here in an ordinary-sized human home. A foreboding feeling began to prick up the back of Eona's spine and neck.

Eona was vaguely aware of Ranne next to her. She remembered the duel they'd had right before both the Rat and Mirror Dragoneyes were chosen. It seemed like a lifetime ago—she hadn't even known about the Ascendent Dragon. All she'd cared about was helping her master with his debt. When her and Ranne went at it, he showed no mercy at all. But neither did she. And people were immensely shocked to see a cripple fight back.

Ranne looked at her up and down. "You've changed quite a lot, Eon."

She was aware she was still in the dress Kat and Dimitri gave her, but thankfully it was surprisingly easy to move around in. "Eona," she corrected. There was a creek in the door as the winds blew a strong gust. She was momentarily startled, almost dropping one of her swords.

Ranne rolled his eyes. "Then again…"

All at once, men swarmed from every direction of the tower. No, there were a few women, Eona realized. And they were just as threatening. Bounding down the stairway, ambushing from the entryway, there was no way out. They didn't even give them enough time to turn their backs to each other; already they were wielding their swords and knives and spiked chain whips and other dangerous weapons. Eona turned and spun swiftly, almost falling at times, narrowly avoiding sharp strikes and slices. She didn't have time to stop or breathe or think. Just block, aim, or strike. By the time it was over, she was sweating from head to toe, and vaguely aware of the fact that she was still in a dress, one that was relatively long on her for that matter. She would never know how she didn't fall or slip once.

"My lady," someone said. It was Kenzo, walking up beside her. On her other side was Shun. The three of them were the only ones standing. Everybody else—Ido's men, Ido's women, their men, Yuso, Ranne, Brannon—all slain. A deep gash was profusely bleeding from Eona's right arm, having torn through the delicate fabric of her dress sleeve. She saw that Shun's leg had blood all over it as well.

"Are you alright?" she asked, voice breathless.

"Yes," he hissed in pain. "It'll pass."

"My lady, your arm—"

"I'm fine. Let's keep moving."

"Nonsense!" Kenzo snapped, in a tone she'd never heard or imagined from him before. "We can spare a moment or so to patch the two of you up. How can we go on if you are losing blood?" He tore away scraps of fabric from the nearest soldier's body and while Eona winced internally, she knew they had to act fast and take care of who they had left. When he turned back, Eona had sat down on the steps of the stairs, with Shun sitting behind her, and Kenzo kneeled down and meticulously began wrapping the fabric securely around her upper arm. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Kenzo looked up and smiled. "You're one of the few Dragoneyes I've seen who, even with the promise of great power and rank, still have retained your humbleness and humility. It is so good to know you have not lost yourself within all of this, Lady Eona."

Eona glanced over at Ranne's body, which had been a mistake. For his body was there, though not his head. She began to gag and covered her mouth. Kenzo looked up in concern and glanced behind him at Ranne's decapitated corpse. He turned back and with a grimace, maneuvered himself so that he blocked Eona's view of the body. "You alright, my lady?"

"Yes," she said in as level a voice as possible. She tried not to gasp or pant, tried leaning her head forwards so as to help the blood flow back. When she was certain it had, she leaned back up, accidentally bumping into Shun's knee.

"Ouch," he grunted.

"Sorry," Eona said. Kenzo went to work on Shun's leg. As soon as he was finished, Eona stood up, gripping her swords.

"Those men…they almost seemed inhuman," Kenzo said. "Like they were possessed or something." He turned to Eona. "You don't suppose Ido forced them to take excessive amounts of Sun drug powder?"

"It's possible." Eona shuddered, as she remembered the grim effects it had had on both her and Dillon.

"My lady," Kenzo said. "Do you know where to go next?"

Shaking her memories, a clear picture and direction was already alive in her mind, the path undoubtable. "Yes."

Kenzo nodded. Shun looked less sure. Regardless, they followed their lady as she headed straight through the tower, all the way out the back doors.

* * *

They headed through the woods for only five minutes before Shun started to become antsy and impatient. "My lady, are you _sure _you know where we're going?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. She felt the pull, the conviction, of the exact area they had to get to. And they were there…now.

She needn't assure Shun or Kenzo they were in the right area. All was clear when they found Dela and Ryko tied up in a net in the tree, but otherwise seemingly unharmed, and Kygo, who was not as lucky. He was lying unconscious with a giant multi-colored bruise on his head, slumped against a tree. Eona imagined he'd been slammed against it more than once. One of the sleeves from his robe had been ripped off completely as well, exposing his entire arm.

But the strangest spectacle of all was an enlarged object sitting right beside the other side of the tree—a ten-foot tall hourglass with all of the sand settled in the bottom half. There was also a wooden ladder settled against it.

"Where did that _come_ from?" Shun exclaimed. He took a step forward, and before Eona could scream out to him, all three of them were caught in a net and flown up into the air with a big _whoosh_ sound. Eona could feel the two men's bodies packed up against her in the tight space as the three of them struggled inside the net, now level with Dela and Ryko's.

Ido appeared from among the trees, his dark figure starting out with just a shadow and then materializing into him. "That's not important," he said, gazing up at them. "What's important is that you are _all _running out of time," he said, eyes traveling from Eona, Shun, and Kenzo, over to Dela and Ryko, and settling back down on Kygo's crumpled figure. "Specifically, your precious little emperor." He walked over to the hourglass, motioning it with his hand as if he were giving a presentation. "This here hourglass has a keyhole on both ends, in which one can open it and put anything they want in it. Then all one has to do is turn it over, and the time starts ticking."

As she watched in horror, Ido took a key out of the pocket in his tunic, climbed the ladder leaning against the hourglass, unscrewed it, and lifted the top open. He then climbed back down and picked up Kygo's crumpled body.

After he unceremoniously dumped him into the top empty portion, he went to retrieve Kygo's swords and threw them into the bushes. The he slammed the lid shut with finality. With that, he jumped to the ground and hoisted the giant hourglass over with all his strength, setting it firmly back on the ground.

* * *

Kygo supposed he'd been out for only a minute or two, for he felt a hard _crack!_ on his head when he sat up and hit something. Rubbing his temples, he opened his eyes and looked around, hardly daring to believe it. There was light sanding falling in the air, raining down on him. There was a round circular tube he was inside of—no, it was the hourglass, as he looked up to realize he was in the bottom empty half of it. Empty for now.

He caught sight of Eona stuck inside of a net with Shun and Kenzo, awkwardly using their swords to cut the net. Dela and Ryko in the other net didn't have their swords with them. The events of the day had happened so fast, the events blurred together, he could barely put the pieces together. They'd been at the camp that morning, Ido's soldiers attacked with zero warning, Kygo had been bound and gagged and dragged into the woods, and was unceremoniously thrown against a tree so hard he blacked out. When he awoke his left eye was throbbing and he knew there'd be a massive bruise there…and he found himself somehow inside of a giant hourglass. How he'd gotten there and where it came from, he would never know.

Eona had managed to get through the net, having ripped a big enough hole for her, Kenzo, and Shun to all come tumbling out of, slamming to the ground. She directed Kenzo and Shun toward the net holding Dela and Ryko, telling them to work on releasing them, while she held out her sword and began running towards Kygo with it.

At the last minute before she could connect, before the collision between her sword and the hourglass, Ido jumped out in front of her and swinging his sword towards her, causing her to jump back. He briefly turned and smirked at Kgyo, then swiveled back to Eona. Now that Dela and Ryko were free, they both came running toward the hourglass as well. Only right at the last moment, several of Ido's men emerged from the woods, swarming in like a flood, and all of Kygo's allies, Eona, Dela, Ryko, Kenzo, and Shun, were all outnumbered and surrounded by the fleas.

If Kygo had been able to think clearly, he would've spent his thoughts berating Ido for the selfish cowardly animal he always knew him to be. Working alone when he had everyone trapped or tied up, yet his allies abruptly jumping out of the unknown when his enemies started to gain the upper hand.

But Kygo was not able to think straight right now. All he could think of was the unsettling realization setting in: He needed someone from outside to break him out. Swallowing back his fear, he sat still and willed himself to be patient and not panic, as the sand cascaded down around him, descending upon him.

* * *

Throughout the battle Eona took every chance to shoot a quick glance at Kygo. She could already see a thin accumulation of sand on the ground where he sat. She kept trying to maneuver through and between the battle zones, fending off every attack when she needed to, to get closer to Kygo with every step. Eventually she'd taken a wrong step and was hit in the head so hard, she was knocked unconscious.

The world came back to her slowly as she opened her eyes and awoke to the sounds of swords and cries around her, as well as a banging sound close by. She sat up and realized that Kygo was trying to wake her up, yelling at her, his voice echoing inside the narrow walls. He looked like he'd done his damnedest to knock the hourglass over, but with no success. Now he leaned against the barrier, exhausted, lifting one hand up vulnerably to the glass. "My lady," he panted. He didn't say anything else, but the tone in his voice was clear: _Help me._

She went dashing over when she felt a sharp elbow jab her in the ribs, getting an involuntary grunt out of her as she stumbled back. Her head was pounding excessively. Ido stood in front of the hourglass and taunted Kygo. "Getting a little…_dry_, in there, isn't is?"

Kygo lunged at the barrier, as if he could reach through the glass and grab Ido if he tried hard enough. He was like a caged animal getting tired of the human's games and antics.

"Release him or I'll kill myself," Eona said, holding her sword to her throat.

Ido snapped his head in Eona's direction and sucked in his breath as a sour look overtook his previously gleeful face. Kygo lunged again, only this time for a different reason. "No, my lady!" he yelped, his eyes half-fear, half-anger. "Don't! Don't you dare…"

Ido's lips curled over his teeth in rage, his jaw shaking. "Do it yourself," she barely heard him whisper, before he went darting off in the trees.

Eona got up to the hourglass. Dela, Ryko, Shun, and Kenzo were all still keeping the enemy forces busy. Kygo might not have had long, but Eona still had her swords and immediately went to work one by one with them, slamming and slashing at the glass as hard as she could. She could see she had already made progress with the spider-web cracks going across the glass from Kinra and Charra's swords.

"Eona," he said in little more than a strangled cry. He craned his neck as much as one could, and she could see his braid lying out on the sand behind him. She also noticed a short distance away from his face a couple of his fingers sticking out, barely able to move. She could also see a little bit of his bare shoulder, almost completely submerged by now.

"Hang on," she said, making eye contact for one second, where already there were grains of sand falling onto his face, into his eyes. He blinked several times.

She knew Shun was right though. It was strange how something this ordinary could be so large. Eona had never seen such a gigantic hourglass before. Who built it? How did Ido get a hold of it? What was it used for—was it _normally_ used as a torture or death device?

Kygo was packed in really tightly now, the sand settled just underneath his eyes, which looked at Eona with thinly-veiled panic before closing.

She kept swinging against the glass repeatedly, and was doing a surprisingly good job. More cracks were becoming visible, the glass was getting noticeably weaker, thinner, and she could see slight reflections of herself breaking in the glass. Kygo was almost entirely submerged when with one final slash of the sword, Eona smashed the glass, shattering it into several pieces. Broken bits flew everywhere, heavy amounts of sand pouring out. She caught Kygo in her arms as he came tumbling out, coughing and sputtering. She wiped off the sand from his head and face and shoulders. Eona caught sight of a bit of blood on the hourglass, bits of sand forming a small stream falling outside of the opening. She checked Kygo all around, seeing a tear in the fabric of his robes that must've caught on one of the shards as he'd fallen out. "It is nothing serious," he hissed, grabbing her and pulling her down.

By now an arrow flew across the ground, cutting through something that ended up releasing another net trap, capturing Dela and Ryko once again. Another arrow flew and another net hoisted Shun and Kenzo up in the air. Eona and Kygo fled into the bushes, avoiding however many other net traps there were at all costs. They could now see arrows flying out from as low as the bushes to as high as across treetops. They were all perfectly straight, going in the same direction, and no one was safe in its line of sight. Men emerged from the bushes and tall grass and dropped down from the trees in seconds.

Kygo turned to Eona. "My lady," he said, "it is imperative that we—" His voice cut off and his face fell, mouth slowly closing as if being forced shut, eyes suddenly tired-looking and dull. She'd thought they were safe where they were; she crouched down even lower, holding her hands out to Kygo. His eyebrows scrunched up in pain. He looked down and saw the arrow lodged into his torso, which had been clear only moments before. He tried to maneuver his arms and bring his hands down, slowly wrapping each one around the thick sharp arrow point. They fell by his sides; he knew this would do no good.

Eona heard Kenzo gasp. She looked up, and for the first time, Eona saw Shun pale and gape, a loss for words. He was gripping the net he was hanging in by the tree, wanting desperately to come down and save them. But he couldn't do anything. He had no choice.

The blood spread rapidly across the expanse of Kygo's stomach and chest now, staining it dark red, mixing in with the dirt and sand. And this time, Eona didn't have the power to heal.

He tried to reach out a hand but it fell limp by his side. "The empire…is…yours." His mouth filled with blood as his eyes closed and he collapsed forward, Eona catching him in her arms.

Dela was sobbing and Ryko was shaking his head, imprisoned up in the net that bound them to the branch. Until more arrows shot out from the trees and severed both nets. The four prisoners were still held inside the nets but were now on the ground, writhing and struggling to get free. Ido stepped out of the bushes and grasped the one with Dela and Ryko, dragging them along the rough ground and sharp pebbly surface, their shrieks and protests audible for miles. The net with Kenzo and Shun was lifted by four men as soon as Dela and Ryko and Ido were out of sight. Eona leaped forward with both swords at the ready, but they blocked her way, Kenzo and Shun struggling within their entrapment. Only one of them jumped up in front of her, but he was so massive and swinging his own two swords so fast, Eona had to use all her strength and focus to fight him, leaving the other three enough time to drag Kenzo and Shun away.

It was a longer duel than any Eona had ever experienced before, lasting the better part of an hour. Several times she'd been pushed back, slid across the gravel, and thrown up against a tree. His swords were bigger than hers—he was bigger—everything was bigger. But his heaviness didn't prevent him from quick agile moves and Eona had to respect his skills, as he was one of the deadliest opponents she'd ever had. Eventually she began to seize the upper hand, becoming quicker on her feet and aiming at a much faster rate than him. She could see the surprise and alarm flicker in his eyes. At the end he fell to the ground, his hands no longer carrying the strength to hold his swords, but his head carrying the strength to look up at her. "Kill me," he said. "Kill me. I surrender."

Eona stared at him. She didn't wish to kill. It was probably very stupid, because he was with Ido, and anyone with Ido was a danger to the world.

"Do it," he said. "I will not run away. I refuse to run like a coward and I refuse to not accept my defeat."

When she still hesitated, he started to get up and leap for her sword. With that, more in self-defense than anything, Eona plunged Kinra's sword into his abdomen, his Hua cutting off almost instantaneously. She released her sword and turned away, seeing Kygo's limp bloody form in the bushes. All was quiet now except for the birds. It was absurd; it seemed so peaceful and beautiful, as though nothing had happened in the past couple of hours. Ido had successfully eliminated every single person around her, isolated her from the pack. Which is precisely what he'd tried to do earlier and failed, only because she'd had her dragon power. _I am not powerless_, she told herself. _I just have different power now. _Then she thought, _And I still have the same power I've always had—power that didn't come with having a dragon._

There was a burning sensation from Kinra's sword, and then one from Charra's. It felt like an electric current sparked and went up Eona's fingers, palms, wrists, and arms. All the way through her shoulders and face and head. Despite how heavy her arms and legs felt after that duel, despite all of the moisture on her body and the sweat dripping from her face, she felt rejuvenated and re-energized again, as if she'd just been given a sprinkling of dragon magic.

In the fading sunset, head high, all senses alert, she ran down the path, through the trees, determined to finish this mission once and for all.

* * *

Bursting through the back of the tower again, there was no one in sight. The carnage of the earlier battle was still there, but she did not sense a single living presence in the room. But somehow she knew one of them was in here—Ido or Kenzo or Shun or Dela or Ryko—they'd gone in this direction and they'd come in here. She felt a striking sensation as she looked up at the ceiling, knowing she'd yet to see what was on the second floor, what the staircase lead up to.

She bounded up the stairs two and three at a time, knowing that if she stopped for just one second she would hesitate and not continue.

What met her was a sight so grisly, she dropped one sword and clasped a hand firmly to her mouth. Her eyes darted everywhere, all over the most grotesque scene she'd ever encountered in her long life of war and death.

Both Lady Dela and Ryko lay there, their bodies utterly destroyed. Ryko lay in an unnatural position where his limbs had clearly been twisted right out of their sockets, and his eyes stared up silently at the sky-high glass ceiling, where the sunlight shone down, no doubt having already dried them up.

Removing her trembling hand, Eona reached down carefully and closed his eyes. She dared take another glance at Dela, who had no eyes left to be closed; while Ryko's limbs had been ripped from their sockets, Dela's eyes must have been ripped from theirs, as there were nothing but two dark gaping bloody holes where they once were. Eona dropped her other sword and clasped both hands back on her mouth again. She prayed Dela had not been alive when that happened, and that neither her or Ryko had to watch the other suffer. But given their close proximity to each other, it was a likelihood.

Forcing her eyes away, she grabbed her swords and leaped out of the room, rounding the corner before she promptly regurgitated a long stream of a mixture of bile and the soup she'd had the night before.

"My Lady," came his voice, only stair steps away. It was ominously low, almost sounding like a purr. But it was deadly enough that it was really like a snake trying to disguise itself as a kitten. "We have all day. You're welcome to take as long as you need. I know people like you need quite a while to stomach such things."

There was nothing wrong with being sickened and disgusted by what he had done, but Eona knew he was trying to say that she was weak. She stood up straight and walked down the spiraling stairs until he came into view—first his head, then the top of him, and finally his whole body when she'd reached the bottom. He had that same serpentine smile on his face, one that used to make her wonder if he'd really changed, but now only made her stomach turn. He was standing at the end of the hallway, near the back of the tower, the small room panned out behind him.

"If you're calling me weak, you don't know what you're in for," Eona said. She glanced behind her at the considerable blockage at the door her and the soldiers had entered just earlier that day—now there were also two lanterns in front of it, each with a candle in them, lending plenty of light to the night. Plenty, because each one was floor-to-ceiling length and cut off the entire entryway. There would be no way to squeeze through. The candles within were alight and just as large, casting long deadly shadows across the ceiling and bringing everything into light and into view. One of the lanterns was made of glass while the other was wooden with a door and crisscross designs on it. One could fit their hand through the openings. And if someone were to regrettably be thrown into one of these large lanterns, they would suffer an awful, agonizing death.

Other additions to the space were scrolls of parchment nearly ten feet long that had fallen to the ground, quickly leaving a trail of Eona's muddy footprints and Ido's larger ones, mirrors covering the entirety of the walls, and in the corner behind Ido, to his far left, was something—maybe a large cage or box—covered in fabric.

"Where…how…" She was speechless. "Where did you get these things?"

"I didn't 'get' them anywhere. I enlarged them."

"How?"

He spread his arms out. "My powers are unlimited."

She wished she could deny him, say that he was lying, that he was only trying to mess with her like he had so many times before. But she could not deny what was right before her eyes as she glanced around the vicinity, taking everything in. He was right. There was a whole world of power out there that no one had ever grasped before, and she had no idea what he had in store for it.

"You see, when I kidnapped your little Kat, I had one other Dragoneye left to force her to revive me yet again, when I killed myself. That's how I gained this other power, this power of enlarging things. I'm getting quite good at it, and pretty soon I believe I'll be able to go from objects to people—in other words, I'll be able to make _myself_ big enough to rule the lands. Then people will literally be under my foot."

Eona curled her lip in disgust. Forcing Kat to use her draining powers that always left her weak was the worst kind of control and abuse Eona could think of. It was ironic that he said 'from objects to people' because he clearly thought of them as one and the same.

"What I had planned to do was use another Dragoneye—the last remaining Dragoneye, that would be you—to combine your powers with Kat's and revive me multiple times, so that I gained a new power each time. Then I would be invincible, unstoppable…omnipotent."

Willing herself not to hyperventilate, Eona said, "I no longer have my Dragoneye powers. I cannot call to or connect to the Mirror Dragon anymore. Therefore you cannot use me."

"Oh, I'm thinking it'll come back sooner or later, My Lady."

"I am not your Lady."

"And when it does, you and Kat will revive me multiple times, until it is to a point where I cannot even die anymore. I will be immortal—I will be _one of the gods._"

"You won't even _touch_ Kat," Eona snarled. "You'll go nowhere near her, you won't even get to see her. She is safely back at the encampment—"

"Is she?" Ido went to the back left corner, where the cloth-covered object sat, and lifted it. Eona's mouth dropped. He lifted up the metal cage and slammed it on the ground. Eona cringed at the aggressive way he handled it_. _The person sitting inside it had had a bumpy ride.

Kat.

She had her wrists and ankles bound, and there was a gag over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Isn't she so lovely?" Ido asked smoothly, gesturing toward her like she was an exotic pet.

Eona could feel herself begin to shake. Half from panic, half from fury.

"I told her," Ido said, "that if she makes one sound, I would slice and dice her throat to pieces, or throw her in that thing." He pointed at the large burning lantern behind Eona. Eona glanced behind her, then at Kat's terrified face, then at Ido, and suppressed a growl. "Good thing she knows how to obey orders." He reached a hand in and caressed her head. At which point Eona leaped forward to swing her sword at him, only to be blocked harshly by his own. She hadn't even seen it coming. No doubt Ido was always a strong swordfighter, but now he seemed even stronger. He did not let all of the power go to his head and make him think he had to stop training.

Eona stumbled backwards, almost dropping Kinra's sword. It was difficult when your hands were full and you didn't have anything to reach out to as you fell. "You kidnapped her? Who else did you harm?"

"For your information, I did not kidnap Kat. Though I would have eventually. But I needn't do that, because she made everything quite easy for me, much easier that I'd intended. Which is saying a lot since everything's becoming easier and easier nowadays—"

Eona charged forward again, not willing to listen if he wasn't going to get to the point, but this time Ido blocked and swung, so many of them nearly landing right on Eona's face, only narrowly missing. In the back of her head she wondered if his new powers enhanced his already-flawless physical fighting ability. He landed a slight one on her cheek. She could feel blood starting to dribble down, tasting some of it in her mouth. Backing away slowly, she panted, knowing she needed to plan carefully rather than running in blind. Ido was not one to be fooled.

"She came after me herself. She wanted to fight with you. She wanted to _protect_ you," Ido said cooingly, mocking what he and everyone knew was between them.

Eona's eyes shifted toward Kat, and then moved quickly back to Ido. Not just to keep her guard up, but to not bring any attention or suspicion on Ido's part to Kat, who'd now untied her hands all the way. Kat took a knife out of her pocket, reached out, and stabbed his leg. Ido let out a ferocious scream and kicked her hand and the knife away. Blood dribbled where she'd hit. Eona took this chance to attack. Unfortunately, Ido seemed to have eyes on the back of his head, or his new powers really did enhance his abilities and quicken his response time. Because, at an impossible speed, and at the exact same time he was dealing with Kat inside the cage, his hand struck out like a viper, his knuckles hitting Eona right in the eyes.

She heard and felt a loud _crack! _and all went black.

* * *

Kat shook and rattled the bars on the cage, trying desperately to get it to open. A key was needed to for the lock, but maybe if she yanked at them hard enough, something would loosen and undo the whole thing. This didn't particularly look like a well-built cage. It was wishful thinking, but she didn't know what else to do.

She watched helplessly as Ido took Eona's limp body, hoisted her up effortlessly with one arm, and placed her flat on her back on one of the tables. He kicked both of her swords away. Her then took some rope and tied each of her limbs down. Then he turned to Kat, a smile splitting his face in two, his teeth bared ravenously. "She will soon succumb to a spell that will eat away at her Hua. Almost like…what's that strange fairy tale from around your lands? Oh yes, Sleeping Beauty. BUT," he said, "far, far worse. Because she will not simply stay asleep forever—she will eventually fall into death."

"I thought you needed her!" Kat shrieked, bouncing around so much in the cage now that she knew she looked crazy.

"Calm," Ido said. "She won't be out for long. This is just to keep her out of the way. It takes quite a while for the spell to take full effect. It's _you_, you need to be worrying about."

* * *

Eona felt her eyes flutter open, but she felt a heavy grogginess weighing down her lids, and every part of her body. She didn't feel sore, as if someone had beaten or injured her, but she didn't feel exhausted the she did when she'd just been fighting either. Rather, it suddenly felt like she hadn't slept in years. Like at any moment she would fall right into a deep sleep. She forced her eyes to stay open.

Ido only limped a little. The stab clearly didn't leave a deep enough wound or leave as large of an impact as they would've liked.

There was a loud _clang!_ sound on top of the cage Kat was in, and for a moment Eona thought Kat had somehow managed to reach through the bars and undue the lock hanging from the outside and lift it open, when she turned and saw another painfully familiar face standing on top of it—Ai. His teeth were bared, eyes were narrowed, and he let out a low growl. One would never guess he was the same grieving young man she'd last seen at the camp.

Ai had what Eona presumed was Kat's bow and arrow, drew back, and shot straight toward Ido's heart. It missed his heart, but got him square in the stomach. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to knock him off his tracks for a moment. He let out a grunt and stumbled back, hands gripping the arrow lodged in his stomach, blood already staining his tunic. Ai glanced alarmingly at Eona, and Eona groggily, "Get Kat out."

"But you—"

"I'm fine, get Kat out."

"But Eona—" he said, not listening and rushing over toward her.

"GET KAT OUT _FIRST_!" she shouted, which was a mistake, as she immediately felt her head pull back down on the table, feeling like she'd just been yanked unpleasantly out of a deep sleep. She was breathless and shaky and her hands were beginning to feel numb.

Ai rushed over to the cage and yanked at the top. He was able to rip the door off, the metal lock clanging loudly to the ground. Kat climbed the bars faster than a cheetah and scrambled out. She pointed past Ai, and he could see Ido was already back to his feet, in the middle of the hallway, all traces of past amusement gone from his eyes. He did not appreciate this unexpected visit and surprise ambush from Ai. Kat took the bow and arrow from Ai and shot, but Ido caught it in midair before it hit him. Ai charged toward Ido, with nothing to arm him with, and Ido caught him, lifted him up in the air, and threw him against the giant lanterns at the opposite end of the hall.

Though she was afraid to take her eyes off Ido, Kat threw a panicky glance at Eona. By now Ido was all the way down the hall, beating Ai to a bloody pulp. He threw him mercilessly against the burning sides of the lanterns, kicked him, held him up against the walls, and punched him multiple times. She wanted to help both him and Eona, but could not do both at once. She felt unbelievably stuck, glancing back and forth between Ido and Ai at one end of the hall, and Eona held down on the ground at the other. And Eona was so focused with her own waning energy that she didn't even glance up at Kat, didn't fire off any orders to her. And Ai—what if Ido killed him? He didn't need Ai the way he needed Kat and Eona. He'd said she _'won't be there for long'_. Was he going to release the hold on her when he was finished with Ai? Before all her life force was gone?

But Ai was doing alright for himself—he never lay still, much as he must've wanted to…he kept fighting back as hard as he could. Kat saw a look in his hard eyes, a clear message in them ringing loud and clear when he looked at her momentarily: _Don't worry about me. I've got him distracted. Save Eona. Save my little sister, your sister, your friend…save our sister._

He was sacrificing himself for Eona, and Kat could not let that go to waste.

Kat glanced back at Eona and saw now that her eyes were barely open, fluttering a little the way someone did just before passing out. When she got up to the table, she saw Eona's eyes open, glazed over, not appearing to recognize Kat. Kat had picked up one of Eona's swords along the way.

She leaned down to Eona and whispered, "Eona. Let me take it from here."

Eona, looking dazed and confused, barely gave a nod.

Kat eyed the rope, which was stretched out along the table, holding Eona in place as if she were a sacrificial lamb. Kat had never held a sword before and was clearly thrown by how much heavier it was than she expected, but she immediately gripped the handle with both hands, reared it back, and swung out as hard as she could. The rope was so thick, one swing wasn't enough. She kept going, repeatedly slicing more and more through the rope that was like tree bark. As the rope itself loosened, so did the power that seemed to be held over Eona. She was becoming more and more awake the closer to freedom she got.

Kat heard more of a scuffle behind her; then she heard other voices. She didn't dare get distracted from her current task, but from the sounds of it, Kenzo and Shun were at the end of the hall now as well, helping Ai and fighting Lord Ido. When she did get a glimpse toward the action, she saw that Kenzo kept throwing multiple daggers at him, landing a few in his arms, but Ido pulled them right out and kept going. She shuddered. Ido was definitely stronger than he'd ever been, to be able to sustain himself against two or three men at once. Much stronger than that weak man she'd shot in the woods and they'd had to pull out of the mud.

Kat stole another glance at Ido and Ai and winced when she saw Ai lying on the ground, incapable of getting back up anymore, and Ido standing over him, sword in hand. It wasn't Eona's other sword. Where he'd gotten it, Kat would never know. It must've been kept hidden somewhere within all of the rubble.

Ai lay there coughing and sputtering, bits of blood falling from his mouth and nose, Ido's foot pressed down on his chest. Ido held the flat of the blade down on his throat. "Looks like you're out of time," Ido said quietly. He lifted the blade high into the air and swung it down.

Kinra's sword struck out, catching it before it could slice Ai in half. Eona held Charra's sword in her other arm, poised in the air, ready to fight. Ido had said Ai was out of time. _Not quite. _The interruption lasted for only one second, and then Eona was on him. Swinging both swords without warning, backing him up against the wall. She didn't even know why she'd given him fair warning of her presence, even if it was just a seconds' worth. He did not deserve warning. He did not deserve fairness. Fairness and honor be damned—she was going to kill this monster, once and for all.

Ido struck back, causing Eona to stumble a few paces. He looked incredulous the entire time, and quickly stole a glance at the now broken, ripped up pieces of rope from the table, the edges worn and frayed. He glanced back at her ripped up, bloody dress, but she was still standing, panting, eyes on him. Rage filled his face, a rage Eona had never seen before on calm, cool, collected Ido who always had everything planned out, who always had everything his way. Rage rearranged the features of face into a fixed glare. "You b—"

She swung again, but even Ido's momentary shock wasn't enough of a distraction to get him. He was swift and skilled, one of the greatest fighters of their empire and of their time, there was no doubt. No more time for words, they battled back and forth. At one point Ido caught her near the ribs, slashing yet another rip into her dress. It wasn't a deep wound, but Eona involuntarily let out a little yelp. He showed no mercy. He caught her again moments later, landing another cut on her back. She could feel the long tear along down her back where the sword had connected.

They were going up the spiral staircase now, Eona nearly tripping on the steps as she went backwards, Ido charging up after her like a grizzly bear intruding someone's home with no shame. Everywhere he stepped, he believed was his. Eona regained her balance and connected blows with Ido. Each held his and her own, sweat dripping down their faces in the power struggle. They moved and connected again. Ido gazed past the blade at Eona. "You know these people never cared about you, right? You know they'll never care about you even after all this is done too…especially now that you no longer have your dragon power…you'll be nothing. Just like you always were."

Eona shook her head fiercely, not taking her eyes off him. He was wrong. They'd changed—Dela, Ryko, Kygo…Vida had changed too. They'd all worked together to stop Ido once and for all, to put an end to him. And Dela and Ryko, the two people she'd first met when she became the Mirror Dragoneye, came back. They'd come back to being the loyal, witty, friendly, and dependable people Eona had grown to love before the war. Ido didn't know what he was talking about.

"They didn't even love you when you were Eon. Heuris Brannon hated your guts. You were just his little whipping girl, his little _bitch. _He never gave an ounce worth of respect to you. Kygo, the emperor, only wanted you for the power. You were _nothing_ when you just a little girl, just a pathetic little salt farm slave. When you were just a _cripple_, not even worthy of being a candidate. And Ryko? Dela?" Ido roared with laughter, his voice seeming to have an effect on the window right beside them on the staircase, where if Eona turned her head even the slightest fraction, she would see gore and bloodshed where soldiers outside lay dismembered and dying. Ido's laughter shook the frame of the window. "_They_…they hate your guts. They always have. You ruined their whole day when you turned out to be Eona. You ruined their entire little parade. They were never the same after that. You're were just…"

Shaking her head slowly, Eona tuned out his words until they were nothing but a mere buzzing in her ear, like that of a fly or a bee. Focused, focused on nothing but defeating the enemy, like she'd always been trained, focusing on nothing but pure survival and preservation, she wedged her sword away from his and in that split-second that time froze, she struck.

That split second meant everything. Time meant everything. It meant life or death.

Kinra's blade sliced across Ido's neck, midsentence. He'd tried to block it, but he was not fast enough. Silence; Eona saw the thick red line across his neck begin to release drops of blood, which became increasingly larger, until there were multiple rivers running down his neck. His cold blank eyes stared at her, lifeless, as his head fell back, the wound in his neck deep and black now. His head was nearly severed from his neck, about three-fourths of the way. As his head continued to fall back at an unnatural angle, his limp body fell to the ground with a _clunk _and it rolled partway down the steps.

Eona stood in that exact place for only a moment before she felt Kat, Kenzo, Shun, and Ai walk up behind her. They seemed reluctant to do or say anything, lest they set her off somehow. She was breathing hard, gasping, her chest heaving from the fight. She let Kinra and Charra's swords slip out of her hands and clatter to the ground. Kat flinched. Ai bent over and picked both of them up, holding them out in one hand for Eona before retracting them. "I'll hold them for you," he whispered, putting his other hand on her shoulder.

Eona turned and looked into each one of their faces, each pair of eyes. These were all people she'd met very recently. Yet she knew these were all people she'd stay with for a very, very long time to come. They'd just faced the most terrible ordeal of their lives—and they'd defeated it. Her friends helped her to defeat Lord Ido.

They took Ido's body and threw it in the large lantern, burning it.

She turned and looked down to a place on the ground where his sword lay. She kicked it aside, bits of dust floating above it. This time, she was sure, he would not be coming back.

* * *

A large crowd of people gathered to observe the large funeral procession. Everybody wore white, the symbolic color of death and honoring those who had fallen. Three large caskets draped with colorful satin cloth and flowers were marched down the path, each being held and carried by the handles on all four corners. The carriers looked straight ahead, grief yet peace etched onto their faces. Everybody had been affected by Ido's return and wrath. Everybody had been affected by the battle of the dragons. Just as everybody had been affected by the absence of the dragons for a long time now.

There had been so much bloodshed. Kygo, Dela, Ryko, Vida, Momo, Chart, Felix, and her mother—her mother—were only some out of the many people who'd lost their lives. Even Ido...though heartless and practically inhuman, had seemed to have some good in him at one point, before it all drained and washed away in the hungry need of power. Eona also remembered Caito, Solly, the thirty-six villagers who'd died the first time she'd healed Ryko…she remembered her former Master Brannon, Ranne, and Yuso, who all had died again, along with Ryko. What must it have really felt like to do it _twice_? Yet they were all given a second chance for a reason. She remembered Dolana, the first time she heard about her brother, thinking he was dead, and the first time she heard about Ryko's mother. All her life, death had been following her like a plague, threatening to take another person.

And now Eona stood as the Empress of the Celestial Empire. Yet was it really still called the Celestial Empire? There were new people now, new faces from new places, who spoke other languages and came from different backgrounds. Had different stories to tell. Had different histories. There still was a lot to take care of, and a lot to worry about. There was a whole future ahead of them, and it was not paved with gold. They had to start anew, again, with what they had.

Yet they were all family. As she'd said to them before the final battle with Ido, the only way to survive—not just win, but survive—was to stick together and trust one another. Everything after that would be doable, even if difficult. When she looked over at Kenzo and Shun standing across from her on the other side of the procession, though their faces serious as stone, she felt hope. When she gently reached her hand back, and felt Kat's slide into hers, she felt hope. When she darted her eyes sideways and saw her brother, Ai, and Kat's brother Dimitri, standing there beside her, the two of them reunited once again after so long, she felt hope.

And when she looked up to the sky, and saw the Mirror Dragon surrounded by the other Celestial Dragons, she felt hope.


End file.
